The ReMarker | September 2014

ST. MARK’S SCHOOL OF TEXAS | DALLAS, TEXAS 75230 | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 | VOL. 61, ISSUE 1

Committed.

Page 23 LIFE

THE REMARKER

NEWS

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

COMMENTARY

LOCKED DOOR TO FITNESS

A look into the first 100 days of new Eugene McDermott Headmaster David Dini.

Thousands of parts and hundreds of hours are going into the contruction of the chapel’s new organ.

The Mullen Weight Room is now locked during school hours, keeping students from working out unless part of a PE class.

Page 3

Page 16

Page 19

A NEW BEGINNING

INSIDE

News Male Call Life Vibe Commentary Sports Backpage

2 10 11 18 19 22 28

HONORING FORMER HEADMASTER

Hunt named to Holtberg Master Teaching Chair

‘STRUCK BY LIVING’

Inspired by Julie Hersh’s book, ‘Struck by Living,’ Jorge Correa found the strength to help his wife, Inda, in her battle with depression. Now, with his translation, Correa is helping countless others as they fight their battles.

By Bradford Beck

D

uring the final faculty meeting of the 20132014 school year, Arnie Holtberg, the school’s retiring headmaster, announced that photography instructor Scott Hunt had been appointed as the first holder of the Arnold E. Holtberg Master Teaching Chair.

“I think many of us have a whole lot of respect for Arnie, so to be the first person named to that position is really special, and for that person to be the one who chose me to fill that spot is also special,” Hunt said.

The new chair brings the total number of master teaching chairs up to 17, all of which have been established by donations from alumni, parents and friends of the school to recognize excellence in faculty members.

Scott Hunt Newest Master Teaching Chair

&J

“It’s a huge honor, for one, and it’s a way for the school to recognize people who have had great success and who enjoy being in the classroom but might start looking at other options down the road,” Hunt said.

The new master teaching chair was established when former Board of Trustees President Randall Fojtasek ‘81 announced that it had been endowed by the Meyers family and had been named in honor of Holtberg.

Hunt sees the teaching chair as a mandate to keep doing what he’s doing, but it has also allowed him to reflect on his teaching and on what he can change.

“One of the things it has done is it’s really caused me to kind of step back a little bit and think about how can I improve upon my A game,” Hunt said.

“Arnie always talked about striving and achieving, so you know you receive an accolade like this, that doesn’t mean you can stop and sit back on your laurels and just soak it all in.”

A translator

lifesaver

‘Struck by Living,’ an honest reflection

of a personal battle

with depression, was

written by Julie Hersh, an advocate of mental health and parent of Daniel ’13. With a Spanish translation, the book will now reach countless more people battling this disease.

orge Correa walks into Zale Lipshy hospital, clutching his copy of Struck by Living in his hand.

Inside, his wife is hospitalized and dangerously depressed.

Every day, the community service director reads the book to his wife, Inda Correa, translating the words into Spanish as he goes, coping with the devastating effects of depression as he goes.

But today, her birthday, Jorge notices she is different.

She’s putting on makeup, changing out of the clothes she’s worn for days, calling friends and asking them to visit.

She’s finally talking with her husband.

It seems like the best birthday gift ever.

But some of Jorge’s friends warn him this may not be how it seems.

Don’t be a fool, they say.

She could relapse.

For a few weeks, Jorge sees the beam of light he so badly wants for his wife and himself. They’re back at their house and getting back to their normal lives.

Then one day, she can’t get out of bed.

She slips back into depression just as quickly as she got out.

They’re right back where they started, but that doesn’t mean they’ve lost hope. Since that day years story continues, page 9 ago, Inda has almost fully recovered from her depression.

STORY WILL CLARK | ADDITIONAL REPORTING GOPAL RAMAN | PHOTOS MASON SMITH

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPT. 26, 2014 | PAGE 2

AGAINST SHEER NUMBERS Freshman Nateesh Vemuri (right) competed in and won a major mathematics contest against more than 5,000 contestants. Page 6

Especially at the start of the school year, I often hear certain rumblings around campus.

“So-and-so gave me an unfair amount of homework tonight. Doesn’t he/she know we have lives?”

“I’ve got three tests this week, unbelievable.”

“Man, I really hate going to lab.

Why do we even do this?”

As someone who’s occasionally had to stay up till three a.m. completing a lab report or an essay, I know how tough it is. I’ve caught myself voicing similar opinions before, so I’m just as guilty.

Call me a cynic, but one of my favorite quotes is from Fight Club’s Tyler Durden: “It could be worse.”

It could be worse.

Instead of three tests in a week, I could have four. Or five and a paper due. I could be drowning in tests.

My problems are “first-world problems.” In the grand scheme of things, they’re minor. I have the “problem” of being able to read a book and being given the opportunity to reflect on it. The “problem” of having teachers who care enough about my education to stay at school late grading papers or tests. The “problem” of getting an academically rigorous education from an elite institution.

That’s not to say our problems as Marksmen, or sons, or brothers, aren’t important. However, they also are undoubtedly not all-encompassing.

With a month of school behind us and eight more on the horizon, it’s always important to step back and take a look at the bigger picture.

At the end of the day today, I’m going to go home and fret about some minor problem. And I hope thirteenyear-old Mohammed has the privilege of doing the same.

He said, with a smile, these are the things that shape us.

Upcoming

ALDEN JAMES PHOTO

“One of my biggest challenges in stepping into this role was making sure I could bring my own perspective.” — Eugene McDermott Headmaster David Dini. Page 3

Newsfeed

SCHOOL EVENTS IN THE UPCOMING WEEKS

Today > An admissions representative from Stanford University will be visiting campus today during fourth period to meet with prospective applicants. All Upper School students are welcome to attend. > Complimentary State Fair of Texas tickets are available to all Upper and Middle School students and are eligible for use on weekdays.

The tickets will be available in both the Upper and Middle School offices.

1

TIM O’MEARA PHOTO

N

othing really speaks more to the diversity of the student body here at 10600 Preston Road than what we choose to do over the summer, from robotics contests to jobs or internships or various summer camps.

A couple weeks ago, I found a CNN article about a different type of summer activity: a morbid summer camp in central Iraq run by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The article described the experience of a thirteen-year-old named Mohammed who, under the threat of harm and death to his family, attended an ISIS training camp with a name that, as a Marksman, struck a chord with me: the “ISIS School for Boys”.

This summer, I learned how to write iOS apps.

This summer, Mohammed learned how to disassemble, reassemble and shoot an AK-47 and where to aim to kill the “infidels” who oppose ISIS. This summer, I had friends visit colleges throughout the country, from Penn to USC. This summer, one of Mohammed’s friends was killed by the Free Syrian Army in a firefight outside of Deir Ezzor, Syria.

This summer, I was pretty ticked off by the robotics team’s tenth place finish in the Botball International Tournament in L.A. This summer, Mohammed was terrified of the daily stonings and beheadings the boys were forced by the ISIS fighters to watch in order to “mentally strengthen” them.

Mohammed, now safe with his family, helped give me a dramatic sense of perspective.

A NEW ERA, A FAMILIAR FACE

NEWS AROUND CAMPUS

Weekend

Next week

> Boston University will

> Oct. 1 is the makeup date for yearbook pictures in Nearburg N-114 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. This will be the last chance for students and faculty to have their pictures made for inclusion in the 2015 Marksmen yearbook.

be holding an information session Sunday for Dallas area high school students at the Hilton Dallas, Lincoln Center at 1:30 p.m.

> Students looking for a community service opportunity may receive five hours credit for assisting the Alzheimer’s Walk this Saturday at AT&T Plaza from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

> The first mid-trimester ends next Friday, with grades due the following Monday. Students should expect grades and comments to be available within a week or two.

> Sophomore Arno Goetz will be leading a team tomorrow in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s annual Walk to Cure Diabetes. Register online at www.2.jdrf.org/ goto/letsgoetzacure.

MINUTE

T

he x2Vol community service website has undergone a major overhaul for the purpose of both aesthetics and convenience.

While every class that uses x2Vol has already been given a demonstration of the new interface, a PowerPoint presentation made by Head of X2Vol Henry Goldberg will also be posted for general access on the school website to remind students of the changes.

“The biggest and most anticipated new feature is that you are now able to see who is signed up for projects,” Goldberg said. “That has been something that students have been clamoring for, for years now, so we’re pretty excited about that. Another big change is now you can easily see how many hours you’ve done during this school year, which was another big thing people were asking for.”

B

of pie eating by Dr. John Perryman and the Senior Class

T

EASY AS PIE At the Senior Class’s first Lion Pause Sept. 16 in the Amphitheatre, Assistant Head of Upper School Dr. John Perryman chowed down in a pie-eating contest with seniors Andrew McClain and Travis Nadalini.

overheard COMMENTS MADE BY FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS AROUND CAMPUS Victor F. White Master Teaching Chair

Senior

“Chocolate thunder?

That was a kid on my high school basketball team!”

Director of Environmental Studies

Dan Northcut “Ah, Benjamin... do you go by Ben or Jamin?”

Senior

Justin Jones

David Brown “Mr. Gilles, you eat granola like a girl.”

Corson Purnell “Can I ‘Overheard’ myself?.”

Junior

Eugene Song

“It’s a bacon pancake?

It looks delicious!”

...

eginning this year, students can now rent books online from the library on their laptops, tablets and cell phones through a program called Overdrive. The system works identically to the library’s regular book checking out policy.

Students will have three weeks to read an e-book before returning it to the library because of copyright obligations to keep track of e-book amounts.

“So many people are really looking toward the electronic delivery of books now,” Head Librarian TInsley Silcox said. “Who doesn’t have a Kindle, iPad or Nook? We all do. OverDrive allows us to buy a book electronically and rent it out to students for three weeks at a time.”

USED WITH PERMISSION OF KATHY GUMUNDSSON

A different kind of summer camp

“This is not something that they can take home, enjoy it while it’s cute and little and then just throw it out and let it end up on the street. There are so many dogs everywhere whose owners just forget about them because they’re not fun anymore.” — Community Service Director Jorge Correa. Page 5

NEWS

VIK PATTABI

LENDING A HAND AT THE SPCA

Director of Environmental Studies

Dan Northcut “Like we learned in paramedic school, if you drop the baby, pick it up..”

PHOTOS ALDEN JAMES, MASON SMITH, TIM O’MEARA, DAVIS MARSH, DANIEL COPE

...

he debate team competed in the season’s first national Tier One tournament, hosted Sept.

20 at Greenhill. Results were not available at press time.

Although their preseason has suggested that neither the team of Aakash Pattabi and Haris Ahmad nor the team of Ammar Plumber and Jake Galant will hold a national top five ranking, both of these teams are projected to compete on the level of the top 20 teams.

“We are not quite as experienced this year,” coach Tim Mahoney said. “However, if they put in the time and effort, they should perform pretty well in the upcoming tournaments.”

F

...

or the seventh straight year, Director of Environmental Studies Dan Northcut will lead the Electronics Drive Oct. 1 from 2:30-4 p.m. by the tennis courts.

The drive aims to collect as much electronic waste as possible, including everything from refrigerators to batteries. Cellphones will be collected later in the year.

“It’s an opportunity to get rid of stuff you weren’t really sure how to throw away,” Northcut said, “like refrigerators, scanners, all kinds of stuff. Anything that plugs in or runs on batteries can be brought in. I always shoot for a ton, and sometimes we get a ton, sometimes not, but we always get over a thousand pounds.”

Newsfeed Stories by Noah Koecher, Philip Montgomery, James Hancock, and Abhi Thummala

In his first days as school head, more changed than just the decor.

Eugene McDermott Headmaster David Dini is embracing the challenges and bringing his own sense of style to the position — replete with iconic relics from the school’s past adorning his new office.

100 days of David Dini

T

gradually seeping over the course of the spring and the closer and closer we got to the end of the year, the more I felt that. There’s enthusiasm, but there’s also a real sense of conviction that goes with the reality of the responsibility that you need to make sure you’re prepared to give it your all. It’s really humbling.”

Dini spent most of the second half of last school year and the beginning of the summer preparing to take the reins from former headmaster Arnie Holtberg, a task easier said than done.

“Some people think that the summer is a slow time around here,” Dini said, “but it’s actually quite busy through the summer. For all the administrative offices, it’s a pretty much a 12-month operation here at school. And, for me, in my case, because I was on campus on another role, I pretty quickly in early summer moved into my new role and worked with transitional issues with Mr. Holtberg – that was really going on since the spring.”

“We were working very closely to make sure that there was as smooth a transition as possible on every front,” Dini said. “And, of course, we had the good fortune of having worked together for 20 years and knowing one another really well. Even though I’ve been here for a long time, we didn’t take any of the simple things in the transition for granted. That’s been a huge help for me and my family.”

he headmaster’s office is like a canvas. Much of the walls are bare while picture frames lean against one side of the room, just waiting to be hung.

But the things that are in place are all school related, some dating back several decades.

On the opposite side of the room from Eugene McDermott Headmaster David Dini’s desk, right above the creased blue leather couch where Dini invites visitors to sit, hang the covers of four yearbooks: the 1921 edition of the Terrill School, the 1945 book of the Cathedral School and two Marksmen yearbooks of old.

“If you wander around this office and looked at things at the wall, you’d notice I have a penchant for recognizing and embracing holding up the history of the school,” Dini said.

“I am very mindful of that and I feel like an important part of my role is to help others to be mindful of that and that you guys carry on that important legacy.”

Since his official induction as headmaster after graduation in June, Dini has had about 100 days to reflect and perform in his new role -- a good judgement period for how he will conduct schoolbusiness and where he wants to lead the school in the future.

“Certainly there isn’t a sense of power that goes with it,” he said. “It’s a sense of responsibility. And that was

ICED Jumping at the chance to douse their new headmaster, seniors Corson Purnell (left) and Justin Jones (right) unleash a torrrent of chilling water on Dini for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

The transition process has been expedited because of the stellar condition the school is already in.

“One of the fortunate parts of stepping into this role is that the school is in great condition,” Dini said. “The school is operating in excellent fashion in just about every front. And so, the ability to step into a role and not have major changes to have to make is incredibly fortunate for me. It gives us the freedom and flexibility to look to the future and say,’Where are the opportunities for us to get better?’”

While this transition was time-consuming enough, in June, Dini devoted much of his energy not only learning about and preparing for his new role, but also to busily work to finish his responsibilities in his previous position as assistant headmaster smoothly.

“June was really focused on transition and move,” Dini said. “Of course, the Holtbergs

departed then, but I also was finishing out the job that I had.

We operate on a fiscal year that ends on June 30 and begins again on July 1, so all the operations at school come to a close at the end of June and start again in July. June was a busy month making sure we close successfully.”

July was all about professional development for Dini.

Over the course of a few weeks, Dini attended multiple conferences and institutions such as the International Boys’ Schools Coalition annual conference in Nashville.

For Dean of Campus and Provost Scott Gonzalez, it was after these two months when he began to see Dini as fully in control after these first two months.

“I really noticed that he had become our headmaster in June,” Gonzalez said. “Even more so in July when I saw him at the International Boys School Coalition conference.

When he arrived, there was a

CENTENNIAL SPORTS

A PIECE OF THE PAST Scattered

around the walls of his office, items like this 1973 Linz Award, awarded to Cecil and Ida Green for their humanitarian efforts in the city of Dallas, remind Dini of the school’s rich history.

NEWS

EUGENE MCDERMOTT HEADMASTER DAVID DINI

THE REMARKER SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 3 4 NEW FACULTY AND STAFF 6 KYLE SMITH 7 ACADEMIC INTEGRITY 8 HOMECOMING PREVIEW

Alongside plaques, yearbooks and lists of names, two sporting relics sit in the new headmaster’s office. Both a picture of the Terrill School’s 1928 football team (top) and a 1921 sports trophy presented by Arthur A. Evert to the school (left) sit alongside Dini in the practical museum of history, these two pieces dating back almost a century.

SIGNS OF SUCCESS Yet

another symbol of years of excellence, this silver cup served as a token of appreciation to Mr. and Mrs. M.B. Terrell and their academic institution in May 1916.

STORY ALEX KIM AND CASE LOWRY | PHOTOS MASON SMITH, TOP PHOTO COURTESY DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

different air about him. He was excited and he was very interested in the goings on in boys education so I think that pretty much in the first 20 days, he was in the drivers seat and ready to rock.”

In August, preparations for the beginning of school were the main focus in Dini’s workload.

“We were very quickly focused on all the pre-sessional meetings and all the preparations for the school year,” Dini said. “From opening convocation to how we were going to manage chapel -- you know, with the organ issue and where we’re going to be -- and all the other typical kinds of things you have to think about around the beginning of the year. It was a really full time but a very invigorating time, in some ways.”

As the first year of his tenure goes on, Dini will continue building a solid base and begin to look further into the future.

“Transition is the number one responsibility,” Dini said.

“And the primary goal for the year.

We want to make sure our newest faculty and staff are off to a positive and strong start, and I am really so excited by the new additions we were able to make this year.

“We benefitted from the foresight of the people 20-50 years ago that looked to the future and said, ‘The school could be better if we did these things,’” Dini said. “And, that same responsibility is incumbent upon us to look forward that way, and we’ll certainly do that.”

While Dini keeps the past in mind, as attested by the yearbook covers and athletic patches from decades past in his office, it is clear what his idea of the future will be: “We will make sure that the 109th year is every bit as good as the 108th, if not better.”

‘ONE OF MY BIGGEST CHALLENGES IN STEPPING INTO THIS ROLE WAS MAKING SURE I COULD BRING MY OWN PERSPECTIVE.’ EUGENE MCDERMOTT HEADMASTER DAVID DINI

N THE REMARKER NEWS SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 4 N E W FA C U LT Y, S TA F F

Wall Street to Preston Road

From

ARNO GOETZ PHOTO

With a new figure at the helm of the English Department, we are reminded that new faces on campus are sometimes behind the desk.

English Department Chair Michael Morris sat down with Davis Marsh to talk about his varied experiences.

TEACH FIRST, CHAIR SECOND Morris stresses that while running the English Department is important, he dedicates lots of time to the tenth and eleventh grade classes he teaches.

T

he question was inevitable in the first days of school. You couldn’t walk from the lunchroom to the library without hearing somebody ask, Who’s the new English Department chair? What’s he like?

He used to work on Wall Street.

He went to Williams, Columbia and University of Colorado law school.

He knows a lot about English, too.

Michael Morris, the new chair of the English Department, may have quite a long, impressive résume, but that doesn’t speak to where his passions lie. Morris has always wanted to teach, and for the past 20 years, he has. So what took him on this most circuitous route?

For one, Morris hasn’t figured us out yet.

And he can’t wait to get started.

After stints at a large public high school and Williams College, Morris dove into the Wall Street investment firm Goldman Sachs, having received a degree in English and psychology. “[Goldman Sachs] was a great firm, is a great firm,” Morris said. “I think it’s certainly gotten some negative publicity recently, but I had a great experience there, a very positive and frankly a very ethical experience there, I’m proud to say, and I worked there for three years, traveled a lot and met some incredibly smart people. Really, I ended up deciding that it wasn’t the life that I wanted for myself. It may have been the paycheck I wanted for myself but not the life I wanted for myself.”

Interestingly enough, Morris had never intended on working finance. He initially planned to go into teaching after college.

“I had done a lot of writing tutoring growing up with younger children, I coached soccer and then I had spent a summer after my junior year in college at Hotchkiss, a boarding school in Connecticut,” Morris said. “So really my résume was

geared toward teaching and that was my plan.”

At the career counseling office at Williams, Morris submitted his résume to independent schools that would be conducting interviews on campus, but he had a few extra copies.

“I put them in the investment banking folders that were out at the time,” Morris aid.

“Then, happily, I was thought of as someone who had demonstrated that he could learn and knew business-like thinking. That really speaks to the efficacy of the liberal arts model which is that what you are doing essentially, I always thought, is learning how to learn. Lots of people believe that, so Goldman Sachs felt that they could teach me what I needed to know about finance and banking.”

However, after three years on Wall Street, Morris decided that Goldman Sachs couldn’t offer him the lifestyle that he wanted. After leaving the firm, he spent some time studying German at the Goethe Institute in Munich and Berlin, because he had never experienced the study-abroad experience in high school or college.

“I spent some time in Germany focusing on German and German soccer, which is another one of my passions,” Morris said.

Morris believes that his time spent in Germany is valuable to his current position.

“English really comes from Latin and German,” Morris said, “so I must say that there was sort of a feeling of completeness for me having studied Latin in high school then having studied German later on that I had learned some of the two real foundations for the English language: its tremendous Germanic Saxon influence and of course the Roman Latin influence.”

Upon his return from Germany, Morris applied to law school and was accepted, believing it would be a good extension of his education. But during his first year, Mor-

ris had an epiphany that convinced him to rededicate himself to teaching English.

“I became more interested in, if you will, the story of the cases,” Morris said, “and more interested in the writing of the opinions. I was very much moved by a law school professor’s evening lecture on To Kill a Mockingbird.”

After deciding to move into teaching, Morris accepted a job at Vail Mountain School, where he worked for 17 years.

During his time there, Morris served as English Department head while earning his master’s degree from the Klingenstein Center at Columbia University.

“After getting that degree and studying other schools in the process of getting that degree and then, after 17 years at one school in a small town, I had just felt ready and as did my family for a new experience and so we moved to Western Reserve Academy,” Morris said.

Following two years at Western Reserve, Morris heard about a department chair opening here at 10600 Preston Road, applied and was offered the job. Now, Morris is ready to get a feel for the department and for the school.

“My sense is that I’m coming into a very strong department,” Morris said. “We have great teachers and established curriculum and an impressive focus on writing and discussion and conferences and so a lot of what I want to do with my first year here is to observe it all, to witness it all, to get a sense for just how much goes on.”

Just as he would with any student, Morris hopes to encourage the strong suits of the department while identifying areas that could be improved “The next step will be for me to say that we as a department have our strengths, we can recognize our challenges, what are our goals and how can we use the strength of

the department to continue to progress and to get better and better which is the same goal we have for students,” Morris said.

“We would say that St. Mark’s students are accomplished but that doesn’t mean we don’t push them to continue to strengthen themselves as students. My hope is to do the very same thing with the department and with my own teaching.”

English instructor and Brachman Master Teaching Chair Martin Stegemoeller sees Morris as a visionary for the future of English instruction.

“When he came to the faculty leadership training in June, he was an active participant and I think he got a lot out of that,” Stegemoeller said. “He’s a great combination of a traditional focus on grammar, style and mechanics, writing and reading while also he has a pretty strong sense of whether we are trying to teach truths about being human, and if so what are they.”

Morris sees the intensity and drive common in the investment banking world right here in the classroom.

“There is an intensity to the investment-banking that I did and an expectation of a tremendous work ethic and a tremendous willingness to do what it takes to perform at a certain level,” Morris said. “I think I had that going in to investment banking and it was probably part of the reason I got a job on Wall Street, but it’s also something that never left me. I feel that intensity for myself and try to convey that intensity to my students.”

Morris knows that the high standards of the investment banking world trickle down into the education system as well.

“Goldman Sachs was all about excellence,” Morris said. “Now, obviously that’s been warped in some way, but we always have to be careful of that, mindful of that, but it’s that same drive that is so appropriate at St. Mark’s.”

STORY DAVIS MARSH | ADDITIONAL REPORTING DANIEL COPE | PHOTO ARNO GOETZ

14 new faces for faculty, staff

What’s on my bedside table...

A picture of my wife and a clock.

My favorite sports team is...

My old sixth grade basketball team.

My favorite food...

— Compiled by Davis Marsh, Daniel Cope, James Hancock, Gopal Raman and Crawford McCrary. Photos by Arno Goetz and Alden James.

Meagan Frazier Humanities instructor

Biology instructor

What’s on my bedside table...

A touch sensor lamp.

My favorite sports teams...

Rice University baseball.

What I’m looking forward to...

Starting a researh project for students.

Alex George

What’s on my bedside table...

Seventh grade humanities.

A stack of half-finished books.

My favorite food...

My favorite sports teams...

Tacos from Torchy’s.

The Spurs.

What I’m looking forward to...

What I’m looking forward to...

Watching my boys grow into eighth graders.

Working closesly with other members of the Development team.

Jason Lange

Ryan Parker

Humanities instructor

Humanities instructor

Spaghetti ... of any kind.

Jeffrey Hale

Communications coordinator

What am I teaching...

Director of Alumni Relations

Interim chaplain

From Torchy’s Tacos to Blue Bell ice cream, from St. Louis Blues hockey to Texas Tech’s gridiron stars, faculty and staff members let Marksmen know their favorites

Bonnie Fairbanks

Alex Eshelbrenner ‘04

Douglas Carter

Mathematics instructor

What’s on my bedside table...

A picture of my family.

My favorite sports teams...

Kansas Jayhawks and Dallas Cowboys

My favorite foods...

Pizza and Chinese food

Christina Jarke

Ann Hamilton

Director, the St. Mark’s Fund

Mailroom assistant

My favorite basketball team...

What’s on my bedside table...

My favorite sports team...

North Carolina Tarheels.

Cell phone and water.

Texas Tech Red Raiders - WRECK ‘EM!

What I teach...

My favorite food...

My favorite food...

Algebra I-H and geometry.

Seafood.

My grandmother’s meatballs.

My favorite food...

What I’m looking forward to...

What I’m looking forward to...

A1 Thick and Hearty from Whataburger.

Learning my way around campus.

Working on setting new records.

Gabriela Reed

Myles Teasly

Counselor for lower grades

Fellow

Lynn Terman

Isabel Toledo

Fourth grade humanities

Spanish instructor

My favorite sports team...

What’s on my bedside table...

What’s on my bedside table...

What do I teach..

What’s on my bedside table...

What do I teach...

St. Louis Blues.

A copy of Killer Angels.

Books about pediatric hypnosis.

The Modern World.

Wrinkle cream, a lamp and books.

Ninth and tenth grade Spanish.

What do I teach...

My favorite sports teams...

My favorite food...

My favorite sports team...

My favorite sports team...

What I’m looking forward to...

Sixth grade humanities.

Everything, anything Aggies.

Strawberry cake.

The Lakers.

THE Ohio State Buckeyes.

Seeing how the students improve.

My favorite food...

My favorite food is....

What I’m looking forward to...

My favorite foods...

My favorite foods...

My favorite food...

Blue Bell ice cream.

A good burger, I’m a food guy.

Being a part of the lives of the kids.

In-N-Out, tacos and enchiladas.

Anything Italian.

Mediterranean.

THE REMARKER NEWS SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 5 N A N I M A L S H E LT E R T R I P S

They let the dogs out For years, the community service program has been centered around human interactions and the preservation of nature. Now, animals are in the mix, and students are free to be involved — during the school day.

A

s the blue-striped school bus slides into a parking lot off of Lone Star Drive, eight sophomores quickly pull on purple t-shirts and pin white ID badges just over the crest of a dog and cat seated side by side.

The doors fly open, and the boys leap out, immediately, jogging towards the tinted double doors set below a massive blue wall cut out in the letters SPCA — Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Texas — to let the blue sky shine through. Their time is short: a mere 40 minutes stand between them and the bus ride back to their daily lives.

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION OF JORGE CORREA

But for now, nobody could guess the middle of fifth period was coming and going back at 10600 Preston Road, least of all the animals waiting eagerly behind the doors for someone to break the monotony of graywalled cubicles and a spring-held rubber bed to lie on.

Every Thursday last year, students broke away from the routine school day to grab a box lunch and meet Community Service Director Jorge Correa in front of Nearburg for an off-campus trip to the non-profit animal shelter SPCA, which recently participated in the annual Empty the Shelter Day Aug. 16, in which animal adoption fees were waived to be met with a record-breaking 2,217 adoptions across Dallas.

“We as faculty had to read a book around two summers ago,” Correa said, “and one of the ideas included in that book was that working with animals is one of the areas that is beneficial to students’ education, and I believe that. It’s good to work with living beings — it teaches you skills that you just need to learn. I was looking for something that had to do with animals, something where you learn how to take care of a living thing.”

After being approached at the start of last year

by Don Lindsley ’77, SPCA’s vice president for finance, Correa decided to set up the project and offer it during periods five and six on Thursdays, when many high school students have both a free lab period and lunch together.

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY Having accepted the recently adopted Selfy into their midst, the Correa family now has three dogs in the house. The name “Selfy” was ultimately decided upon because of the dog’s appearance when Correa first found her: sitting in her cubicle, all by her self. She is famous for her excited, toothy grins whenever a family member comes home.

“What you have to do first is go to the shelter’s volunteer office, register yourself and listen to the volunteer orientation that they give you,” Correa said. “The work [students] do first starts at the very bottom, which is doing dirty laundry, working the machines or actually washing the pots, pans and whatever they use to give the animals food.”

After several sessions of an animal handling orientation, students begin walking and playing with dogs along the outside pathways and fields, or heading to the back rooms to pet and play with cats.

“I enjoy being able to interact with the animals,” junior Alden James said, “be them dogs or cats — they both have their own unique traits — but overall it’s nice to be able to create that human-animal bond that’s very different from that of a human-human bond in that it’s cross-species. It’s very fun to do that.”

On top of the development of skills focused on working with animals, junior Henry Goldberg believes the recurring nature of the weekly program allows for more efficient experiences when working with the shelter’s many dogs and cats.

“Normally,” Goldberg said, “you get to know the people you’re working with and so you develop a bond between you and the people you’re working with.

However, in SPCA, it’s slightly different because all the animals are being adopted — hopefully they’re being adopted — so the idea is that you get to work with an animal at least once or twice, but you get to know the facilities well, so you’re more and more efficient at taking care of the animals and doing stuff like that.” aving grown in his own relationship with SPCA and other animal shelters to the point of adopting a brown and white pitbull mix named Selfy, Correa is pleased with the success of Empty the Shelter Day, but hopes the participating families across all 38 participating shelters recognize the commitment of their decision.

“People need to know these are not toys that they are giving away,” Correa said. “This is not something that they can take home, enjoy it while it’s cute and little and then just throw it out and let it end up on the street.

There are so many dogs everywhere whose owners just forget about them because they’re not fun anymore.”

In light of the program’s success last year, Correa encourages attendance by any student who can be there and be involved, learning how to grow through impact in the community and taking experiences like a weekly SPCA visit to a level of independent, unguided

EYES ON THE PRIZE In one of the three fenced yards just behind the shelter, junior Jackson Cole plays catch with Lickity-Split, one of the many shelter animals who would not otherwise get an opportunity to spend time outside of their small living cubicles.

H

involvement in community service opportunities.

“I hope people get connected and realize that this is something they really enjoy,” he said. “Something they want to do on their own time. That it reaches the point where it’s not just about the hours anymore.”

For many of those students who pull purple shirts over their white button-downs each week, Correa knows the three hours logged into x2Vol afterwards are nothing more than habit. And though the majority of last years’ group have turned to weekend visits due to an inability to attend during the school week, Correa is certain the project will remain as strong as ever.

“This is the nature of our community service program,” Correa said. “Your school obligations come first and your volunteer work has to be carried out around your school schedule. But this past week we had our first group, and guess what? We had 10 students — more than ever before.”

STORY NOAH KOECHER | PHOTO ALDEN JAMES

by Crawford McCrary Two programs — traveling to opposite ends of the world — offered Marksmen the opportunity to experience foreign cultures and lands as they visited Argentina and China over the summer.

Dr. Lei Zhang led her students to China where they immersed themselves in the culture of Beijing. “I really wanted them to see the real China,” Zhang said, “Not just what they’ve been reading in textbooks” Eight Chinese students accompanied Dr. Zhang on the trip. The students remained in China from May 30 to June 22 spending two weeks in Beijing and one week in Xi’an. This was the first year that the Chinese program offered the trip, and Zhang hopes to make it an annual event. Local families hosted the students, many of whom found staying with someone who did not speak their language to be the most interesting part.

“It was definitely a new experience,” sophomore Ian Fitzgerald said. “The language barrier was odd at first, but it made for a great learning experience.”

Eleven photography students traveled with Arnold

E. Holtberg Master Teacher Scott Hunt to Argentina on June 11 through June 22. Hunt has been leading overseas photo trips since 2002 and sees it as a great learning experience for his students.

“My goal for these trips is first for these students to be travelers, not tourists,” Hunt said. “I don’t want them to take a typical tourist experience, I want them to get out and use the camera as a catalyst for experiences that they wouldn’t otherwise have.”

The students drove through the country during the day, stopping to photograph interesting villages or scenery that they liked. The trip took place during the World Cup, and the students were able to watch an Argentina game alongside more than 5,000 Argentinian fans in a city square.

“It was definitely one of the coolest parts of the trip,” sophomore Rob Crow said. “There were a ton of people, and it was cool to see just how important soccer is over there compared to here in the United States.”

Photographs from the trip will be unveiled during a reception in Nearburg Hall in about three weeks.

PHOTO COURTESY SCOTT HUNT

Photography and Chinese students take summer trips out of the country

ARGENTINAN ADVENTURE In the region of Salta, Argentina, a band of 11 sophomore, junior and senior photography students stand before the jagged rock formations of Cayamate.

N THE REMARKER NEWS SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 6 KYLE SMITH

A boy among

men Against all odds, eighth grader Kyle Smith entered the AT&T Fast Pitch Contest as the youngest competitor on the roster — and won.

EYEING THE COMPETITION Displaying his creations, Smith shows off the visual prototypes of his award-winning idea.

T

he imposing building intimidates him as he walks through the doors. The sheer size of the structure is overwhelming to the 13-year-old as he walks through the grand entrance and into the chaos of the casino.

He finds the exhibition room. Two security guards flank the entrance. A sign standing next to them reads, “No one under 18 allowed.”

The boy enters the exhibition room anyway.

He notices hundreds of booths lining the room. He notices each one, filled with stern businessmen in suits. He notices he is the only kid there.

He waits close to the entrance, flashcards in hand. He can feel the nerves setting in as his father returns from the information desk.

His father tells him he is no longer to present in front of five judges. He would have to present his idea for the AT&T Fast Pitch contest in a humongous booth, the largest one of the entire exhibition room.

Eighth-grader Kyle Smith suddenly felt sick to his stomach.

“I was pretty scared,” Smith said. “I thought I was going to present in front of five people, but I had to give the presentation to roughly 150 people.”

As if presenting his idea to 150 people was not enough of a challenge, Smith was also the only teenager in the competition.

“It was kind of freaky to compete against these venture capitalists and CTOs of companies that have their own booths at this convention,” Smith said. “I’m just an eighth-grader with a 3-D printed box.”

The

Zen Firefly

Purpose? To track and predict the spread of wildfires to prevent deaths How Does it Work? Drones drop fireflies into wilderness, where the fireflies collect data and send info back to a communications hub What Makes it Unique? Each firefly has a predetermined ID code that eliminates the use of costly GPS to track the devices.

As a 13-year-old, Smith’s appearance in the adult contest produced a variety of reactions from the audience and his competitors.

“They were introducing me, and the announcer had a surprised look on his face,” Smith said. “Then there were some people who were like, ‘Wow, this is impressive.’ Then there were others who were thinking, ‘Is he a threat?’”

Smith felt the nerves as the youngest competitor in the contest, and it reflected on his performance. He thought that his presentation in the first round was not his best work.

“I thought, ‘Crap, I just screwed up really bad,’ because I had skipped slides and missed stuff that I didn’t know,” Smith said. “They handed me a microphone, so I couldn’t use my notecards. I thought that I should just pack my bags and get out of Vegas as soon as I can.” owever, his unique idea, called the Zen Firefly, allowed Smith to advance to the second round because of its potential impact and its utilization of communication technology.

“The main thing was incorporating AT&T software into your idea,” Smith said. “When the Firefly sends information about temperature and lightning to the hub, you know exactly where it is and where possible fires could be. So I had every AT&T component in my idea, and I think that made a big difference.”

Smith’s second round performance stood in stark contrast to his first round presentation. Equipped with the confidence he had lacked in the first round, Smith made a strong presentation for the People’s Choice Award.

“I go into the booth and there is a podium with a mic I didn’t have to hold, so I could hold my notes,” Smith said.

“And that one went perfectly. After that, I thought that I had a good shot at winning the People’s Choice Award. “ The People’s Choice Award, for second round performances, and the Judges’ Choice Award, for first round performances, were presented the following day.

“During the awards ceremony, they start off with the people’s choice award,” Smith explained. “The keynote speaker says, ‘the People’s Choice Award went to a very good idea called Storific,’ and I thought I was out.”

Because Smith thought that his second round performance was substantially better than his first, he believed he had a chance to win only the People’s Choice Award.

H

“I was kind of bummed out after finding out I didn’t win People’s Choice,” Smith said. “Then, the [keynote speaker] says, ‘We had a big surprise for the winner of the Judges’ Choice award. He is the youngest person to compete in the AT&T Fast Pitch competition.’ I thought, ‘I just won the award that I didn’t think I’d win.’”

While Smith’s victory came as a surprise to everyone else in the room, Smith’s father, Jeff Smith, knew his son was ready to perform at his best for the competition.

“I wasn’t sure how he would handle the pressure,” Jeff Smith said. “But I knew he was prepared. At one point I

‘IT WAS NERVE-WRACKING AS I WAS WALKED OUT IN FRONT OF 150 STRANGERS WHO WERE THINKING, “I’M GOING TO BEAT YOU, I’M GOING TO GET THAT TITLE.”’ EIGHTH-GRADER KYLE SMITH said, ‘this may be too much; let’s pull the plug’ but he was determined to go for it. I’m glad he had the self-confidence and tenacity.”

Smith’s confidence stems from his experience in robotics. Although he seemed like a rookie during the Fast Pitch competition, Smith has been overachieving in robotics since fourth grade.

“Back in fourth grade, my dad and I created a robotics team,” Smith said. “The team moved on to the next round that year, and we won regionals. My team also earned a patent in medical monitoring.”

Because of his past success with technology, Smith was not surprised when he performed so well in the competition, despite being younger than everyone else. With a bright future in robotics ahead of him, Smith is looking forward to his next competitions.

“After the ceremony a venture capitalist came up to me and he wanted to have a serious conversation with me about this concept,” Smith said. “ Right now, I think I’m going to put it off to the side and focus on the robotics contest for my team and see if I can do well in the contest next year.”

STORY ANVIT REDDY | PHOTO FRANK THOMAS

by Rish Basu

F

reshman Niteesh Vemuri placed first in the nation for the second year in a row in the International Mathematics Olympiad, a mathematics competition held in India. The competition consisted of 50,000 Indian students representing their respective schools.

For Vemuri, math has always been a passion.

“I’ve been interested in math since I was in second grade,” Vemuri said. “We moved to India after fourth grade and that’s where I started attending the math Olympiads to see where I stand.”

The sudden success came as a surprise to Vemuri.

“My first competition as a fourth grader, I came first in the state and that was more of a shock in itself to me,” Vemuri said. “It was really unexpected because I was also 27th in the entire nation.”

The following year Vemuri placed third in the country as a sixth grader. He started to develop a winning streak and participated in more and more competitions.

There are three mathematics Olympiads, and they are an international affair in which more

than 80,000 students compete in. Vemuri has placed first in the nation in two of the Olympiads.

Moving to India from the United States as a fourth grader, Vemuri experienced a completely different method of math testing.

“The tests in India are more analytical and logically based,” Vemuri said. “For most tests, the information comes out of material from a textbook, but these competitions would give you puzzles and patterns to solve. It is almost like an IQ test” Although he was attending a new school with a highly competitive atmosphere, Vemuri participated in competitions without much practice or experience.

By the time he was a seventh-grader, Vemuri was accustomed to every test and problem the competition could offer him. Vemuri was confident he would land in the state radar, but when he ranked nationally, he knew he had achieved something outstanding.

“The process was really rushed,” Vemuri said.

“I only studied for maybe a week, and I actually felt more nervous before I took the test. But after opening the first page of the exam, I just told myself that I could do it.”

TIM O’MEARA PHOTO

Freshman Vemuri wins international math contest

MATH MASTERMIND Carefully showing his work, Vemuri solves a difficult problem by detailing the steps to acheiving the correct answer.

THE REMARKER NEWS SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 7 N

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Not just black and white Students often claim a ‘gray area’ between right and wrong that muddles academic integrity. The ReMarker sits down with teachers to clear up any confusion.

Y

ear after year, chemistry instructor Ken Owens issues the same simple warning on the first day of classes.

“If the work you turn in you cannot do by yourself, it’s not your work.”

After 17 years of teaching, Owens has learned how to best treat academic honesty through experience. He also believes that the “gray area” between right and wrong that is often cited as the source of confusion is largely the student’s creation.

“I think the gray area happens more because kids don’t want to think they’re cheating and because kids mistake collaboration for group work,” Owens said. “Not the same thing.

Group work is where four people work together to solve one problem. Collaboration is where four people are each solving the same problem and can talk amongst themselves.”

While Malcolm K. and Minda Brachman Master Teaching Chair Martin Stegemoeller, who heads the

Discipline Council, agrees students create a gray area, he also believes that teachers are partly responsible.

“Often kids manufacture gray area,” Stegemoeller said, “and sometimes teachers might not make it so clear. I’m not sure if teachers are always aware that maybe, the year before, a teacher allowed so and so, and maybe they wouldn’t do it that way. They’re holding kids accountable to a standard that maybe they didn’t make so clear.”

Stegemoeller believes that reading Lion Tracks once each trimester and clarifying the rules would help limit confusion among students.

“I think we might be able to say a couple things that would limit it more. If you’re doing something that makes the assignment easier,” Stegemoeller said.

“If it takes less time and energy on your part, then it’s probably cheating. The goal is that through collaboration, you end up spending more time on it, but that your product is a lot better and you enjoy it more.”

Foreign Language Department Chair Nancy Marmion also feels a shortcut is simply another avenue for cheating.

“There are students who make a distinction between a shortcut and cheating,” Marmion said. “There are different kinds of shortcuts, but copying someone’s homework is not a shortcut.

That’s cheating. Reading the Cliff Notes instead of the book: I know there are students who would say that’s a shortcut. To me that’s cheating.”

Math instructor Amy Pool has noticed that students lose track of their responsibilities for each class a few months into the school year, a trend she hopes to help fix.

“I think we would all benefit as a community if we were to go back and remind each other of what the expectations are,” Pool said. “Unfortunately, we revisit those conversations after someone’s slipped up and it’s reminded us, but it would not be a bad idea to say, as a teacher, I should remind students

of what my expectations are.”

However, students are still expected to work within the rules, which often vary from class to class, especially while collaborating with friends. If unsure about certain aspects of the rules, Pool recommends asking the teacher.

“I do try to make it clear that although I encourage collaboration when working on the homework,” Pool said, “everyone has to take responsibility for what’s coming out of the process.

If you’re just writing something down that you don’t understand, then what you’re giving me is not honestly your work and would not fall under our guidelines for academic integrity.”

Although Pool understands students might find themselves in tricky situations, she believes that navigating the circumstances is simply a facet of life.

“As a mathematician,” Pool said, “I wish the world was black and white, but it doesn’t work that way in the real world.”

STORY ABHI THUMMALA | ILLUSTRATION JOON PARK

WORDS that cause

confusion

cheating

shortcut

collaboration

morality

to break a rule or law usually to gain an advantage at something

a method of doing something more quickly than and often not so thoroughly as by ordinary procedure

to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor

the degree to which something is right and good : the moral goodness or badness of something

30 seniors recognized as National Merit semifinalists Thirty seniors have been named as semi-finalists by the National Merit Scholarship Foundation, the organiztion announced last week.

Recognized seniors include Vignesh Babu, Nick Buckenham, Christopher Carter, Connor Castilla, Raymond Chen, Jacob Chernick, Matthew Co, Forest Cummings-Taylor, Kunal Dixit, Burke Garza, Raymond Guo, Nick Jelsma, Will Jelsma, Rishi Kshatriya, Shourya Kumar, Carrington Kyle, George Lin, Elton McIntosh, Stuart Montgomery, Aakash Pattabi, Vik Pattabi, Eric Rawot, Mason Smith, William Su, William Sydney, Daniel Wechsler, Matt Woodberry, Darwin Yang and James Zhang.

These 30 seniors scored more than 218 points out of a possible 240 on the annual PSAT exam taken earlier.

Approximately one percent of the 1,500,000 students who took the exam were selected as semifinalists, with an additional 34,000 students receiving the commended honor.

The 30 semifinalists, which represent nearly one third of the Class of 2015, are now eligible to receive scholarships for college.

16,000 semifinalists 1,500,000

from

by Abhi Thummala

1

top percent OF

students nationwide

$2500

scholarship money awarded

finalists

qualifying score for Texas semifinalists

218

N THE REMARKER NEWS SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 8 HOMECOMING

A night at

CARNAVAL

Homecoming in Rio will take Marksmen on an untamed Amazon adventure. And when the music starts to play, the theme promises the party will go ‘Carnaval’ night long.

A

fter hours of discussion and debate, Student Council President Carrington Kyle and his team decided on an energetic new homecoming theme, Río, that along with a multitude of fresh ideas, will lend this year’s homecoming a fun and unique environment.

On the Saturday night after the football game against Holland Hall Oct. 17, Upper School students will continue the celebration at Edison’s, an entertainment venue just one mile south of downtown Dallas.

“Edison’s is a different atmosphere from last year’s venue, but it reflects this year’s theme perfectly,” Kyle said. “With its lit patio and decorative atmosphere in the main room, it provides a great feel for homecoming that I know students will love.”

Along with the unique location, new theme and new slogan, Carnaval Night Long, this year’s homecoming promises to impress, adding to the atmosphere of an exciting and memorable party.

“The theme is what tells the story of this homecoming for years to come,” Kyle said. “This theme in particular is one that strays from the ones in the past few years. It is not whimsical like Oz or classy like Titanic; instead, this theme is one that makes people think of a fun, different environment. After all, Carnaval is about the biggest party in the world.”

The dance itself will be a culmination of a party atmosphere with a classy touch, which Kyle believes the students will enjoy.

“The beauty of homecoming is having students really appreciate the event for all that it is worth,” Kyle said.

After putting his own twist in homecoming, Kyle still has specific goals that he would like this party to achieve.

“My goal is to try and make homecoming a more widespread event,” Kyle said. Every year there is a decline in the attendance level of sophomores and juniors,” While I cannot necessarily fix this now, I want the freshmen to never feel as though they should not attend homecoming.”

In addition to the host of changes, there will be several different flavors of Dippin’ Dots ice cream along with frozen drinks.

With key planning from the homecoming moms Lynn Caldwell, Michelle Mize and Donna Clark along with Student Council faculty sponsors Casey Gendason and Dr. Bruce Westrate, the homecoming dream can become a reality.

Two days of fun, football and frivolity Friday, Oct. 17

6 p.m. to 8 p.m. — Homecoming Kick-Off Party at the A. Earl Cullum, Jr., Alumni Commons, hosted by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations 7 p.m. — Varsity football vs. Tulsa Holland Hall, Hunt Family Stadium.

After the game — Spirit Party at Landon Montgomery’s house, 6311 Northport Drive. Student IDs required.

Saturday, Oct. 18

8 p.m. to midnight — Homecoming dance at Edison’s. Lockout at 9 p.m., hosted by Student Council.

A WORD FROM THE NOMINEES WHY DO THEY WANT TO BE KING?

NICK BUCKENHAM JAKE HOLDER

JUSTIN JONES

“I refuse to answer on the grounds that in order to respond to such a question, one first must ask: ‘What does this say about the human condition, and how then should we live?’”

“Me and the Jones administration are honored to represent the goat party.

Very excited to represent the goats across America, including our fond friends from Narnia.”

“Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger. A light from the shadows shall spring.

Renewed shall be blade that was broken. The crownless again shall be king!”

STUART MONTGOMERY

MASON SMITH

“Since my beginning in “I am not opsecond grade i posed to play have plotted to monarch for a take over the night. I’ve got school. Upon the this killer vison of an iron throne annoucment of Mr. Dini last fall, that I totally my hopes were think we could make happen in dashed. But 12 hours, give or now I aspire to be King in order take.” to realize my goal.”

Queen nominees

Clockwise from above: Avita Anand, Elizabeth Farrow, Anesu Nyatanga, Rachel Robinson and Dominique Sung.

STORY BRADFORD BECK | ILLUSTRATION ZUYVA SEVILLA | PHOTOS COURTESY NOMINEES

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THE REMARKER translator and lifesaver SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 9 C translator and lifesaver

10 MENTAL Top

HEALTH TIPS

Julie Hersh uses these tips when giving advice on how to deal with depression based on her experience and professional medical advice.

1 MASON SMITH PHOTO

Sleep—get the right amount. Most depressed people report sleep problems; insomnia often accompanies suicide.

2

Nutrition—if needed, take Vitamin D supplements. Add in fish oil for Omega III fatty acids.

TRANSLATOR When his wife was hospitalized for depression, Jorge Correa read Struck by Living, translating it word for word into Spanish.

COVER STORY continued from page 1

A different happiness

‘I

struck by living / decidí vivir Quick facts

day, sleeping.”

Patricia was happy, yet somehow depression found a way into her life.

The same happened to Julie Hersh, the author of Struck

By Living. Hersh attempted suicide three times.

“I know I felt guilty about it because I had two healthy, beautiful kids who were pretty easy kids. How can I be depressed?”

Hersh thought. “And it really has nothing to do with that. It’s really not a logical disease.”

When people have suicidal thoughts, often times that person’s problem-solving and decision-making skills are impaired.

“Usually, when people get to the point of feeling suicidal, it is because they have difficulty generating alternative solutions to

MASON SMITH PHOTO

t’s like trying to move a huge boulder,” Jorge said. “We are all together, and we are happy we are together doing this, but the frickin’ thing is heavy. And it’s not moving and it’s going too slowly. It’s frustrating at times.”

Before her depression set in, Patricia led a happy life as a teacher at Hockaday.

“When I was working at Hockaday, we had a lot of friends,” she said. “I was not sick at that time, I had a lot of energy.

We would have parties with our kids and our friends at home.

We were such a happy family.”

Then she started feeling tired and was not motivated to go to work. Jorge could only watch his wife’s mental deterioration.

“I didn’t know what was brewing in there,” Jorge said.

“And then one day, she just wouldn’t and couldn’t get up, just stayed in bed all

• Decidí Vivir is Jorge Correa’s Spanish translation of Julie Hersh’s 2010 book.

• Decidí Vivir comes out Oct. 23.

• Julie Hersh, who has become a nationally known advocate for mental health, is the mother of Daniel Hersh ’13 and the wife of Ken Hersh ‘81.

• The book describes Hersh’s account of depression and her recovery using electroconvulsive therapy.

• A copy of each version of the book is available in the Green Library.

problems,” Director of Counseling Barbara Van Drie said. “Their thinking tends to spiral and they can’t see any other way out.”

Jorge’s son, Andrés, was concerned about his mother’s condition as well. He heard about Struck by Living on NPR and recommended the book to his father, not knowing Hersh was involved in the St. Mark’s community.

“I was seeing parts that had to do with Dallas, but I had no idea that the author was even in Texas,” Jorge said. “Then I realized she was talking about St. Mark’s and I was like ‘What the…’”

After reading the book, Jorge was able to better cope with the new challenges he and his wife were facing. “[Patricia] wasn’t alert,” Jorge said. “But if I could do it in her language first, it would be more natural. I had it all in my mind because I was reading it. I don’t know how many times I’ve read it now, but that’s how it started.”

Since the book made such an impact on Jorge’s life, he decided to return the favor to Hersh by writing an official translation of the book in Spanish—a process that took nearly three years.

“Oh, I’ve gotten all kinds of requests to get the book in Spanish,” Hersh casually mentioned to Jorge at a school-sponsered function.

Jorge said he’d do it, but Hersh didn’t really expect him to tackle the enormous task.

When she realized he was serious, she insisted on paying him.

“No, no, no, this is my gift back to you,” Jorge told her.

Since the translated book would reach mostly Mexican populations, Hersh gave Jorge’s translation to some of her Mexican friends, Emilio and Monica Pimentel, to “Mexican-ize” it.

Just as it took a community of writers and devoted people to translate the book, it takes a community to help a loved one overcome depression.

“I think the biggest thing that helped me from taking my life was that there were people there,” Hersh said.

Van Drie agrees that while it may be difficult acknowledging

the support, the community is an important component to recovery.

“I think that’s the hardest thing,” Van Drie said. “Being in a culture that prizes self-reliance, seeking help and gathering support around us is sometimes hard for people to do. It’s important to use the support of professionals and our community.”

Through the influence of her book, Hersh was able to connect with all kinds of people and truly impact the lives of her readers.

“I’ve had teenage kids that look like goth characters come out and say, ‘I feel like your book was written for me,’” Hersh said with a laugh. “Really? I’m a plain, boring, suburban soccer mom and I remind you of yourself?”

Patricia was able to establish a concrete connection with Hersh during her ordeal since she was in the same hospital and saw many of the same things as Hersh.

“There were many things I was believing at that time that she lived also,” Patricia said. “I felt close to her. She described things I was going through at that time. It was something that I could understand better about myself because it was a similar experience.”

Connecting with Hersh and opening up about her condition was a critical part of the path to healing for Patricia.

“When you realize that you are sick with depression or feeling down,” she said, “I would say that you need to talk to somebody and share that experience. You don’t have to keep it to yourself.”

As her ordeal progressed, Patricia gradually did get better, and now she feels much better than when she was battling the worst bouts of depression.

Hersh says the most important thing for a depressed person is to keep trying. The most important thing for that person’s

3

Exercise. If injured, compensate with another form of exercise.

For more information, read Spark

by John Ratey.

4

Be aware of the impact of alcohol and drugs. Take medication if prescribed. If you have a tendency to be depressed, alcohol or illegal drugs only compounds the impact of depression.

5

Feed your brain with courses that excite you. A happy brain is a more productive brain.

6

Avoid romantic relationships that exclude friendships. Make friendships with people outside of romantic relationships.

7

Get a mentor. Someone 10 years or older can act as a sounding board when problems are small and easily solvable.

8

Allow time for introspection.

Call this prayer, journaling, meditation or chill time.

9

Plan proactively for a health crisis and know the signs of depression. Know where the counseling center is and learn about the signs of depression so you can recognize them in yourself or others.

10

Remember that your value is more than what you do. Try to remember that you have value just in being. This lesson humbles us, yet frees us to pursue our passions in the same instant.

family and friends, she says, is for them just to be there.

For Hersh, her family and friends were stubborn enough to keep helping, keep pushing, keep supporting her until she got better.

Jorge read her story and knew he had to do the same.

Thanks to his efforts, Patricia is well on her way to recovery, even after suffering through a potentially deadly mental disorder.

“I am happy now,” Patricia said.

“Not as happy as I used to be, but I feel good about myself and I think that I’m doing well. I feel happy now, but it’s a different happiness.”

‘Depression doesn’t come alone. It has many other powerful tentacles and it is like a dark animal that reaches out to other people, as well.

Family, friends, work, everything.’

JORGE CORREA

M THE REMARKER MALE CALL SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 10

MALECALL

THIS ISSUE WORLD SERIES HOW TO CHANGE A TIRE TECH TOYS YOU CAN AFFORD

Taking you back to the basic fundamentals of all things manly.

WATCH

MAN SCHOOL

THELIKEGAME A TRUE FAN

THINGS YOU CAN AFFORD

TECH TOYS

1 THE LIFESTRAW What? Filters 99.999 percent of bacteria while you’re drinking through it.

How much? $19.95 My take: Great for camping where clean water isn’t a guarentee. Part of each purchase goes to African villages, so it’s a great cause.

2 LASER POINTER What? Just your classic, green laser pointer How much? $4 My take: It literally shoots into space, is dirt cheap and freaks out cats. Be careful though, three planes in the past two years have crashed due to these silent killers.

3 IPHONE AMP What? This trumpet thingy makes your iPhone a lot louder.

How much? $3 My take: iPhones are notoriously quiet. Permanently solve the problem with this cheap piece of plastic.

4 WIRELESS SPEAKERS What?

Waterproof, wireless speakers.

How much? $20 My take: As an avid shower singer, it not only allows me to play music in the shower but also drowns out my voice, which is the real win here. Bonus, pick one up at our student store.

5 REMOTE HELICOPTER What? Inexpensive remote control helicopter.

How much? $39 My take: A traditional remote control helicopter costs $200, which pretty much means you can crash at least five of these before it becomes a real money problem. Ball’s in your court, Santa.

Tech toys reviewed by Philip Montgomery

In Male Call’s first ever appearence at 10600 Preston Road, Male Call editor Philip Montgomery dives into something that has been at the center of the American man-osphere for the last 110 years—the October Classic, otherwise known as the World Series.

THE PERFECT MANCAVE If you follow our suggestions, by the time you’re finished, your man temple should look something like this.

T

he Rangers may have the worst record in all of baseball, assuming the Colorado Rockies haven’t bombed their last ten games, but you can still party like it’s 2011 and trick out your man cave for the real game experience at a fraction of the price. Let’s play ball.

THE SOUND

W

hile your TV may be ready to go, no manbode is complete without a good set of speakers to make you really feeel like you’re in the ballpark. The JBL cinema 510 system is cheap and one of the best in the world. Most speakers cost more than $1000, but these are just $250 and will give you the punch you need to get in the game.

THE SHIRT

E

ven though Adrian Beltre and Co. will not be playing in October, as a Dallas resident, it’s your job to support your team.

Dick’s Sporting Goods sells a plethora of jerseys for only $40 a piece.

THE SNACKS

THE SEATS

N

othing’s more real in a baseball game than the red stadium chairs.

But, authentic ones are uncomfortable and not easy to buy unless you’re willing to spend a lot of money. These Forum Seating stadium chairs solve both problems with their cushy take on the regular metal chair and a price tag of only $50.

E

njoying the World Series like a true man takes the ballpark classics.

Instead of your classic hot dogs, take things up a notch with the Boomstick (yeah, its capitalized, I checked), a Globe Life Park staple since 2012.

Start with a two-foot long hot dog (since I’m not sure if those are actually legal to buy in the United States, go with four regular sized six inchers with buns and stick them together, making it easier to eat and share with friends).

Then, slap some chili on there with a healthy dash of nacho cheese. Add in some caramelized onions and jalapeños for a little fuego, and voilà, you’ve just fed a family of four for the next month and a half.

It’ll cost you $26 at the ballpark, but a little math says you can make it for 14 bucks and some change.

One World Series ticket—$1,047 Your new viewing experience—priceless (or $486, depending on how you look at it)

STORY PHILIP MONTGOMERY | ILLUSTRATIONS ABHI THUMMALA | PHOTOS USED WITH PERMISSION CREATIVE COMMONS

PRO TIPS

Every guy needs to know a few basic things: how to ask a girl out on a date, how to tie a tie, how he likes his steak cooked and how to change a tire —one of the true rites of passage for men. Here’s how to get your vehicle up and rolling in four easy steps:

1

How to

CHANGE A TIRE

step

First, loosen the lug nuts with the tire iron and jack up the car. Caution: the lug nuts are tempermental. Loosen them first so you can slide that tire right off. Lugs are tough, so put some quad strength into it. You’ll get it eventually.

2

step

Take off the lug nuts and the tire.

Keep the nuts safe. You’ll need them to put the new tire on. Dispose of the old tire as you will.

3

step

All right, here we go: get out the spare and slide it right into the tire socket. This is the easiest step.

4

step

Lower the car and tighten the lug nuts until you can’t push them any further. If they aren’t tight, the tire could come off while you’re driving, and you’ll have much bigger problems than a flat. Put everything back in your car and head off into the sunset, victorious.

PHOTO COURTESY HEATHER WASHBURNE

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPT. 26, 2013 | PAGE 11

The chapel’s new organ is being built by a team of devoted workers. The process takes several months to complete and requires thousands of parts. Page 16

MASON SMITH PHOTO

Today

Weekend

Next Week

> The Zac Brown Band

> The United Way’s

> The State Fair of Texas

will be performing at the Gexa Energy Pavilion Oct. 3 in Fair Park. Tickets cost between $47 and $74.

> The Big Shots comedy

show at the Performing Arts Dallas Comedy House is Oct. 1. The show involves well known comedians in the Metroplex doing improv and telling stories for an hour.

Family Health Festival will be held Saturday at Klyde Warren Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Family activities will be available throughout the day.

> The 8th Annual Fiesta

Latinomericana will be held at Klyde Warren Park Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. This cultural celebration features music and dance, sports and other family activities.

opens today at Fair Park. It’s time to prepare for all of the notorious fried, cholesterol packed foods and exciting rides.

> International pop star

Katy Perry, who has a string of number one hits, will appear at American Airlines Center Thursday and Friday, Oct. 2 and 3. Tickets range from $29.50 to $154.

•••

C

ommunity Service Board Co-Chair Ben Wilner worked more than 180 hours this past summer at an internship for Habitat for Humanity.

Instead of aiding in the physical construction of the houses, Wilner oversaw the operation at the program’s offices.

“I wanted to get involved in more of the design projects,” Wilner said.

“I figured I would try to get involved in one of the corporations that we volunteer for like Austin Street or Genesis, or in this case, Habitat for Humanity, which is where I ended up getting my internship.”

Wilner expects to continue to work with the project during the school year, but this time manually constructing the houses himself with the rest of the volunteers.

S

•••

enior Oscar Garcia del Río is a foreign exchange student from Madrid, Spain. Through the American Secondary Schools for International Students and Teachers (ASSIST), the school has found many diverse foreign exchange students over the past 20 years.

Oscar arrived in America Aug. 17, and he is staying with the family of senior Shourya Kumar for the first half of the year and junior Jackson Cole for the second half.

One American activity Oscar enjoyed was going rolling.

“I didn’t expect that we would just throw the toilet paper up there,” Garcia del Río said with a laugh. “But it was really fun and I’m glad I did it.”

— Inbox stories reported by Davis Marsh, Daniel Cope, Avery Powell and Will Clark

180 HOURS WORKED

MASON SMITH PHOTO

•••

arth science instructor Lukas Rahlson is designing virtual field trips for his students by combining pictures, routes, GPS locations and certain natural samples he acquired during his research with the United States Forest Service.

“When they open the file up on their own laptops, they will essentially be able to participate in a real lab that’s in the field,” Rahlson said. “The pictures that I took match up to the map almost exactly, and they will be able to follow the path that I took.”

WILL CLARK

Upcoming THINGS TO DO IN THE WEEKS AHEAD

the Inbox

S

THE DRIVE

Junior Jackson Cole is packing his schedule with some of the toughest classes offered at the school, as well as being involved in several extra-curricular activities.

Page 13

LIFE AROUND CAMPUS

enior Rohan Pinto and sophomore Christopher Chen will both be performing in the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, a competitive, out-of-school orchestra for kids in the Dallas Metroplex.

Pinto has very much enjoyed being a part of the program and has worked hard for his spot.

“Playing in an orchestra full of talented players is not only fun, “ Pinto said, “but also inspires me to improve at playing my own instrument as well.

I hope to continue GDYO throughout the remainder of my time in high school.”

Chen has been a part of the orchestra’s less competitive divisions for the past five years.

“I had to practice about two hours everyday,” Chen said. “The program has really taught me the power of perseverance and how fulfilling being a part of an acclaimed Orchestra can be.”

Marksman LIFE

During his summer vacation, freshman Hill Washburne aided orphans in the impoverished country of Zambia. Page 12

ZUYVA SEVILLA ILLUSTRATION

A MAN FOR OTHERS

E

Moments of a

GOOD VIBRATIONS

this summer by senior Ben Wilner

HAMMERING AWAY Senior Ben Wilner participates in a build at a Habitat for Humanity house. He also oversaw operations at the headquarters during his internship for the charity this past summer.

ACTION RTISTS in

SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON ONE OF ST. MARK’S FINE ARTS STUDENTS

THE ARTIST

Charlie O’Brien

THE ART

Photography

WHAT

The summer trip to Argentina.

HIS WORDS

“I enjoy photography because it allows me to capture the moment in a way that is pleasing to the eye.

Argentina was a great experience because there was so much culture, which made for great photography opportunities.”

Playing for some change

I

’m walking down the street, looking for a good place to set up and already self-conscious with my black, beat up guitar case in my hand.

I quickly find a bench on a street corner across from what seemed like a nice guy.

Pop. Pop. The latches are off, and I’ve got my guitar in my hand, ready to start playing on the street.

“Hey!” a nasally voice yells. It’s the man across from me. Suddenly his camo jacket and baggy, torn-up jeans don’t look so friendly. “You can’t play here!”

A bucket hat casts a shadow over his face and mangled beard. Still thinking he might just be kidding, I respond with a laugh, “Why not?”

I’m already on his bad side, and now he’s really pissed. “Why?? Because I’m panhandling here and you’ll be dipping into my cash!”

He’s flailing his arms around and causing a scene. People are gathering on the street corner now, and not for the reason I was hoping.

Now I see his cardboard sign and styrofoam McDonald’s cup that rattles with people’s spare change. And even though I’ve never heard the word, I think I know what “panhandling” means.

The sounds of my guitar echo down the narrow alley and into the warm, summer Laguna Beach night.

The buzz of the busy restaurants spills out into the street, but right here in my little alley, it’s all me.

People usually pass by, but every now and then someone will stop, listen, toss a buck in my guitar case.

A guy in dirty jeans, a dirty white shirt, and a dirty blonde beard comes by, sits down and listens for a whole song.

He pulls out a box of Natural American Spirit cigarettes and a lighter. Every smokes those out there.

When I’m done playing, he offers me a cigarette. I say no, but not because I didn’t want to. I knew that there was a chance my parents would stop by and listen.

Plus I had never smoked one and didn’t want to look like an idiot.

“My name’s Zach.”

“Hey Zach, I’m Will.” We talked about music for awhile. He plays mandolin. He’s in a band. He likes bluegrass and classic rock. But the entire time we talked, I couldn’t crack his face. He could be 16 or 30. “How old are you?”

“18.”

“Where do you go to high school?”

“I work in construction.”

Crap. Leave it to the prep school kid to assume that every teenager is a carefree student. Zach goes on about how paying rent sucks and how he never has time to play music anymore.

“Hey do you mind if I grab my mandolin and we jam out here?”

My face lit up. “Yeah go for it, that’d be great!”

He came back with his mandolin, and we sang “The Weight,” a classic song from The Band.

And, And, And… put the load, put the load, put the load right on me.

That song has never sounded more beautiful than it did in that smoky alley in Laguna Beach with Zach the construction worker.

LIFE

THE REMARKER SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 12 13 BEING DRIVEN 16 ORGAN PHOTO STORY 17 DJD PRODUCTIONS

HOPE IN ZAMBIA

serve

A call to

Instead of following the traditional path for a summer vacation to a beautiful beach or an exotic city, freshman Hill Washburne provided desperately needed help to orphans in the impoverished country of Zambia.

HOPE In the midst of all the orphans, freshman Hill Washburne is a light of hope for the kids. Many of the children’s parents have died of HIV/AIDS.

A

s Hill Washburne rode a bus through the slums of Lusaka, Zambia, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing out the window. Rotten tomatoes, with flies swarming around them, being sold in the market.

Feces lying everywhere in the street.

Unsightly brown water being dumped outside.

But this was where he was going to spend the next seven days of his summer.

Far from Italy, where he had planned on being.

For the Washburnes, Africa was the last thing on their minds. When plans for the summer began to emerge in January, traveling to Italy to show the kids Venice and Rome seemed to be the best option.

But after being introduced by a friend to a program called Camp LIFE, a week-long summer camp for orphans in Lusaka, Zambia, the Washburnes felt an urgent call to serve others.

‘What’s so cool is that you see how these people live and you start to feel like there is no hope, but because of Family Legacy, you feel like there is a solution to the problem.’

HEATHER WASHBURNE

“In January, our plans were to go to Italy,” Heather Washburne, mother of freshman Hill Washburne, said, “then, we really just felt a call to serve, so we completely changed our family plans. I would have never thought that I would go to Africa. We got the idea from the summer before, when a really good friend of mine went to Camp LIFE. While she was there, she emailed me

and she asked if I could sponsor a girl to get into Tree of Life [orphanage]. I sponsored her, but I would have never thought that I would have the chance to meet the girl, whose name is Dawn”.

In order to overcome the language barrier, each person there was assigned two translators on the first day. The volunteers were then each assigned 10 children to work with.

“When we pulled in on the buses, we found our guides and they had the 10 kids.”

Hill Washburne said. “Of course, the kids just dog piled on top of us. That was probably my favorite moment of the trip.”

For one week, Hill Washburne and his family, along with other Americans, provided support and happiness for orphans in Lusaka. But although the children found solace passing time with the foreigners, they would always go back to their run-down homes in the evening. The conditions that the orphans lived in shocked the entire family.

“There were feces in the street everywhere,” Hill Washburne said. “You could see people scooping out brown water and you could see the market where they were selling foods like tomatoes which were completely decomposed with flies flying around them.”

Often 10 children would be crammed into a room the size of a small office. The children would sleep on the floor and use trash bags as blankets.

The family also caught a glimpse of life without medicine and doctors, when, one day, an orphan’s knee was double its original size.

“This one girl [Paulina] had a cut on her knee and when she came to camp the first day her knee was very big,” Hill Washburne said. “It was probably just a tiny cut, but it just got infected, and of course they only have witch doctors so they asked the witch doctor what to do and he said to grind up cow bones and burn them and put them on the cut. When they did that, it created this scab that was black. My mom sponsored her and she got moved into the orphanage immediately.”

But even in the face of harsh conditions, Hill Washburne eventually fell into a routine. He woke up at 8:30 a.m. every morning, filled his Nalgene with purified water and worked with his campers. He began to learn about the culture of Zambia, and bond with his campers. That is, until he became sick with food poisoning.

While food poisoning may not be a big deal in the U.S., approximately 1.5 million children in Africa die of diarrhea each year.

When Hill Washburne got a high fever and began to shake, things took a turn for the worst.

“At first I started to regret sending my children here like ‘why would I risk my children’s health?’” Heather Washburne said. “We were in Africa, so there wasn’t a pediatrician we could call in the middle of the night.”

Eventually, a doctor was called and Hill Washburne was given antibiotics. Before long, he was back and playing soccer with the kids again.

During the trip, Hill Washburne gained an appreciation for the opportunities he has and valuable insight on the condition of other parts of the world. He now applies that insight into everything he does back

home.

“Every time I’m stressing over my homework, I think back to these kids and how they would love to do their homework and it gives me the motivation to do mine,” Hill Washburne said. “They love books and reading and they would love an opportunity to do their homework. The greatest thing in their in life would be to go to school.”

Hill Washburne’s appreciation for his education arose when he saw how happy children who went to school were in

QUICK facts on Zambia

Life expectancy

52 years

64-69 percent of Zambians live on less than

$1.25 per day

Orphans due to HIV/AIDS

1 million

Lusaka.

Heather Washburne is also impressed by the trip’s impact on her kids.

“The thing that really impressed me was how they rose to the occasion by getting up early every morning and I feel like all three of them took on their own responsibilities,” Heather Washburne said.

“I think that when a kid takes on responsibility it raises their confidence.”

But what touched Hill Washburne the most was what the children said they got out of speaking with him.

“We asked them at the end, ‘what’s one thing you have taken away from camp?’ and they said ‘I’ve learned to face my fears and I’m not afraid.’”

Would do the trip all over again? Hill Washburne was certain he wanted to and has ambitious goals for future service endeavors.

“I want to sponsor a kid for school with my own money,” Hill Washburne said, “so going forward, the way I think I can help them is by telling other people about the program and getting more hands there.”

STORY RICHARD JIANG, ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JAMES HANCOCK | PHOTOS USED WITH PERMISSION HEATHER WASHBURNE

THE REMARKER LIFE SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 13 L PERSONAL LIMITS

Finding the

wall Junior Jackson Cole is nearing overload. He must find his own limits while also putting 100 percent of effort into everything he does. Eventually, he’ll hit his wall.

WHIRLWIND Swamped in both class load and extracurricular activities, junior Jackson Cole must find a way to balance his life. Cole is enrolled in four AP classes, yearbook, is a two sport varsity athlete, vice president of Lion and Sword, a member of Telos and represents the Junior Class in student council as the class president.

R

unning.

They hit the ground running.

Running until they find that place where going further isn’t an option.

Like many in the Upper School, these students push themselves, filling their schedule to the point where the only pause in the day-after-day cycle of stress and motivation is a short night’s sleep.

Constantly pushing the limits of both himself and his schedule, junior Jackson Cole has nearly flooded himself with new activities and responsibilities.

“I think I’m taking the hardest course load possible,” Cole said, “and this past week I hadn’t gotten to start my homework until about nine or ten because of various things like Improv tryouts, Lion and Sword, and Philosophy Club.”

Although this year he’s got a packed schedule, his motivation to do every thing he can and to try his best didn’t always come naturally.

“So last year at the beginning of the year, I wasn’t really doing anything. I wasn’t actually involved in anything at all,” Cole said. “I kind of started by going to Philosophy Club and that kind of spiraled out of

control.”

His interest was sparked. Fueled by a new understanding of discussions of leadership philosophy, Cole began diving into a sea of extra-curricular activities. “[Dr. Martin Stegmoeller] would always talk about caring for the communities you are a part of,” Cole said. “And for me, when I was going for these things it was kind of a way to care for my communities. I became involved in them, and I was branching out to become a more social part of the community to try and make it a better community.

That was really my goal.”

His curiosity was quickly transformed by experience into personal drive. Cole became almost addicted to being involved.

“I started adding one thing at a time to what I was doing, and I realized that I really liked it,” Cole said. “I liked the people I was meeting. I liked the responsibility. I liked actually being around.”

By the end of his sophomore year, the results of his seemingly infinite motivation had already begun to take shape. On top of four AP/ honors courses and his junior year, Cole was already going to be in Telos, two varsity sports, yearbook, Lion and Sword

and the Community Service Board. And he would soon be elected Junior Class president.

“As I kept adding things it kind of became ‘How much can I do?’” Cole said.

“I’m not going to know what my limit is until I reach it, and I would rather reach it now, when there’s not so much on the line, than later when it could mean a lot to a lot of people.” hen the dust began to settle and his junior year schedule became clear, others began to see Cole’s workload as dangerous and potentially self-destructive.

Cole’s future advisor, Director of Academic Information Systems Paul Mlakar, even warned Cole not to overload his schedule.

“Mr. Mlakar told me not to do this to myself, or else I would be burnt out in the first month,” Cole said. “During our advisory he made me practice saying ‘No.’” The advice doesn’t bother him, but Cole doesn’t always take heed to the warnings either.

“He’s got my best interest in mind, I just don’t listen to him very often,” Cole said.

At the beginning of this year, his ambition almost got the better of him.

W

“I have to remember to keep a positive mental attitude,” Cole said. “Early on, I would get home and I’d just be in a bitter mood to my parents, and they would tell me that I was ‘in a mood again’ because I’d just be so burnt out from the day. I have to tell myself not to get down.”

Although his schedule only seems to get more jammed packed, Cole knows that there is a stopping point. A real limit to how much he can do.

“I’m reaching my stopping point,” Cole said. “I have to say, while this will be fun and this is something I want to do, I simply can’t keep this up along with the other things I’m doing. Because at some point, I can no longer commit myself in ways that would be helpful, and at that point I’ll be a hindrance to things. The last thing I want is to be bogging people down by not being able to commit.”

If Cole can’t fully commit to a task at hand, it’s not a task worth doing.

“A hundred percent for me is making everything work the way it should work, and the best it can work,” Cole said. “ I have to push all of my communities forward in ways that are best for them.”

STORY AVERY POWELL | PHOTO ILLUSTRATION ZUYVA SEVILLA, ALDEN JAMES

by Will Clark It’s 6 a.m. on an April morning and David Bartholow ’98 is giving an insulin shot to his diabetic cat. This early in the morning, Twitter is usually dead, but he checks his phone anyway.

Scrolling through his feed, David notices a post from Wimbledon. “Congratulations to David Bartholow, who designed the official poster for #Wimbledon 2014.”

Diabetic cat in one hand, phone in the other, David’s face lights up. He’s the winner of the competition he entered almost a month earlier.

To commemorate a new partnership with ESPN, Wimbledon opened up its poster competition to the Americas this year.

“I randomly saw the promotional email when they announced it,” Bartholow said. “I saw the competition and thought, ‘I’ve really got to do this.’”

Bartholow is a die-hard tennis fan who played on former head tennis coach Eddie Lacey’s team and is the chief creative director at his own marketing and design consultancy.

“I live and breathe the game in a lot of ways; I still play a ton,” Bartholow said. “It’s very inspirational even for design and what I do for a living. [The contest] was very much a fusion of passion and profession.”

The poster that Bartholow designed utilized the classic Wimbledon purple and green as the driving force behind the design and incorporated various mixed media.

“The process is very much a synthesis of client needs, client tastes, assessing the competition and coming up with a formula that makes the most sense for the project at

hand,” Bartholow said.

Going into the competition, Bartholow felt confident that, with his design skills and education, he had the potential to create a poster worthy of Wimbledon.

“I can attribute elements of getting to this point to be part of the multidisciplinary, liberal arts education St. Mark’s provided,” Bartholow said. “I love the game and I’m familiar with past Wimbledon art. I thought, ‘This has never been done, why not?’”

Bartholow’s work was displayed throughout the entire tournament and across many different mediums, including online, print and television and was a crucial aspect of the tournament over the summer.

“Wimbledon has an annual press conference a couple months in advance of the tournament,” Bartholow said, “and they presented my work in this very formal press conference, and it was all very British and charming.”

Even after winning the competition, the experience was surreal for Bartholow, and he didn’t try to promote himself excessively.

“I wanted to make sure it was all actually real,” Bartholow said. “I didn’t want to look like I was profiting from it.

I viewed it as such a tremendous honor that I didn’t want to appear to be trying to gain financially from it.”

Bartholow’s dedication to design and love of tennis allowed him to stand out from competitors from around the world.

“It really comes down to tackling something because you’re interested in—and then executing it,” Bartholow said, “because you believe in putting your best foot forward and doing the best possible job.”

USED WITH PERMISSION ALL ENGLAND LAWN TENNIS & CROQUET CLUB & ESPN PROGRAMMING

David Bartholow ’98 designs official 2014 Wimbledon poster

GAME, SET, MATCH Bartholow’s design was chosen from entries across North and South America.

P THE REMARKER PERSPECTIVES SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 14-15

SOUTHER

PAGEANTS

THE TEXAS FLAG

Sweet tea,

HHHHH

Texas flags,

HHHHH beauty pageants,

HHHHH deer season

HHHHH and other

HHHHH

things that

HHHHH

make up the

HHHHH

curious idea

HHHHH

known as

HHHHH

SOUTHERN PRIDE

F

rom the days-on-end hundred-degree summer heat to fried State Fair temptations to mums at Homecoming and hours-before-the-game tailgating, the South is rich with tradition.

From the Robert E. Lee conservatory in Oak Lawn to the flags that fly outside in the end zone of Hunt Stadium, southerners are not bashful about showing their pride and expressing it in a myriad of ways.

Traditions — passed down from generation to generation — keep that Southern pride living and breathing in towns and cities in the 14 states that comprise the South.

Southern pride is alive and well — in Dallas and all parts of the south. Here’s some folks who are darned proud of their heritage, sweet tea and all.

Martin Tirmenstein ’14 pulled a bold move on his first day of classes at the University of Southern California.

He showed up with a Texas flag for his dorm donning full Texas regalia — cowboy boots, blue jeans, a lone star belt buckle and, to top it off, a Texas flag shirt.

But rather than getting a harsh reception from students, Tirmenstein found his attire helped him as a new student.

“The primary response was from other Texans,” Tirmenstein said. “We all found each other very fast. Almost every person from Texas brought a Texas flag. It’s just kind of an unspoken rule.”

And for those from other states, he found hardly any backlash.

“Every one else not from ‘ALMOST EVERY Texas liked it,” Tirmenstein PERSON FROM TEXAS said. “I got lots of compliments BROUGHT A TEXAS on the shirt, and people FLAG. IT’S JUST KIND OF thought the boots are cool.

A lot of students hadn’t even AN UNSPOKEN RULE.’ seen that type of outfit before.”

When it came time for Tirmenstein to join a fraternity, he found it far easier to meet new people.

“I immediately found guys in every house I was rushing from Texas, and it was a great conversation starter,” Tirmenstein said. “Not from even wearing the shirt but oftentimes just the boots or wearing the belt buckle.”

And Southern Pride? Tirmenstein doesn’t feel too far from home.

“There’s plenty of southern pride here, and it doesn’t feel that much different from home,” Tirmenstein said. “Also, being that Texas is the second most represented school at USC has made the transition easier, I’d say.

I’ve enjoyed meeting other people though from other places.”

W

FROM THE ROOTS

HHHHHHHH

Honor, respect, understanding — these qualities that Southerners hold dear come from deep down inside.

The bigger the ha the closer to God

A source of pride in California

hile it may not be as prevalent today, Southern values and traditions still affect the way of life in Texas.

Upper School Associate Head and AP US History instructor Dr. John Perryman offers an explanation of Southern pride from the historical perspective.

What do you see as the historical basis for a separate, unique “Southern culture.”

I think it’s interesting you ask me this right because in American history we’re looking at British North America and the colonies and you really get a sense of how different the colonies were.

I think there’s a certain sameness to American culture right now that is the result of a sort of mass consumer or mass production society

LONE STAR Wearing a Texas flag shirt, Martin Tirmentstein ‘14 hangs a Texas flag in his dorm room at USC.

where the stores, the franchises at Preston and Royal, Barnes and Nobles, McDonalds, Gap, Texaco or Exxon, you’ll find those storefronts in New Hampshire, California, Florida, where once upon a time there were mom and pop stores.

There’s a sort of sameness that’s appeared on the scene the last 50, 75, hundred years.

I think some of that [southern culture] is lost there, but certainly we’re still different from the north, the Pacific Northwest, but when you’re looking at the founding of the colonies, it begins to make a little more sense. They are dramatically different. New England has a very different sense of purpose and mission than the Chesapeake and Virginia.

I always tell the guys you

For former Miss Texas runn the pageant world was a vita dition for her success—page far more than her time spen “Most of the girls who go actually looking for scholar mom of senior Preston, said dancer, and this gave me a c perform. I did it the first year and thought, ‘wow, I got a semester of college paid for, I’d love to do this again.’”

So she did — eventually working her way from Miss Greenville to Miss Fort Worth to Miss Dallas —learning new skills along the way.

“In a small town ON T I did a lot in my high Wav school, but I had form never had to speak at Kim anything of a big size,” perf Hext said. “Through the years, they taught me ho speaking — I was the Grand Fort Worth Stock Show and — I would have never thoug up and make a speech at th And the pageants brou more opportunities—from m President Ronald Reagan to endary Cowboys head coac birthda ‘IT TRULY WAS WHAT WE landin THINK OF SMALL TOWNS, respon GIVING OPPORTUNITIES Travel TO THE KIDS THAT COME Chann “It THROUGH THOSE TOWNS.’ we thin towns,” Hext said, “giving op the kids that come through watching them grow up, tea learn how to meet business ‘good ol’ boy’ way to raise wo them how to be leaders.”

And in the end, creating and teaching values are the Hext’s days in pageants.

“That’s what the old sou about—as much as you thin the controversies—some of some people have a recepti have a different basis than t Hext said. “There is a group this a great foundation for. S things aren’t really as they s

can do a sort of “Cliff Notes” version of American history by looking at the mascots of different state universities: the cavaliers, the minutemen, the continentals. So we’re different now but we were much more different a hundred fifty, two hundred years ago.

And I think part of that is because of the agrarian south, where hunting, you know it was the frontier more recently than the New England area was so there’s more of a tradition of hunting. Now that being said, I went to school in Western Massachusetts, and they have lots of hunters, lots of country music on the radio station, it’s kind of interesting that up there, also in Western Pennsylvania, they have that similar culture, although definitely not with things like

fried hosp

Was thing was the f colo It’s a relig were idea all, th citie Jam were more as op Virg agric

Wha “Sou Sinc muc

STORY MATTHEW CONLEY, VIK PATTABI | PHOTOS MASON SMITH

RN PRIDE

HUNTING

air,

ner-up Kim Hext, al southern traeants were about nt on television. ot involved were rships,” Hext, d. “I was a trained chance to still

THE RUNWAY ving to the crowd, mer Miss Fort Worth m Hext executes the fect pageant wave.

ow to do public Marshal of the d Rodeo one year ght I could stand he opening.” ught her even meeting former o going to legchTom Landry’s ay party to ng her a job—Corndent for the l and Discovery nel. truly was what nk of small pportunities to those towns, aching them to s owners—its that omen and show

g future leaders e true results of

uthern things are nk about some of the things that ion about might they realize,” of people that Sometimes seem.”

COMFORT FOOD

From deer to ‘gators, it’s more than a sport

Everything’s better with Tabasco sauce

On another topic dear to Southerners— hunting-—seniors Will Jaynes and Corson Purnell are more than experienced.

“My dad bought me my first gun when I was five,” Jaynes said, “and that’s when he began teaching me about gun safety and how to shoot.”

Jaynes journeys to his ranch in Brownsville on and off throughout each year with his family.

“I go hunting once every two or three months for most of the year,” Jaynes said, “but I hunt several weekends per month during deer season. Most of my family know how to hunt and shoot.”

‘DOVE AND QUAIL Members of Jaynes’ HUNTING IS VERY SOCIAL, family have been introAND EVERYONE KNOWS duced to hunting at a young age .

THAT SOUTHERNERS “I was exposed to ARE VERY FRIENDLY AND hunting by my father, SOCIAL PEOPLE.’ and he was exposed to hunting by his grandfather,” Jaynes said.

And when it comes to traditions of the south, Jaynes feels hunting is one of them.

“Part of the tradition is the social aspect of hunting,” Jaynes said. “People tend to go in groups when they hunt.”

For Purnell, spending weekends at Coon Creek Club in Athens, TX hunting alligators is more than just a tradition. It’s a way to personally create wallets and boots.

“The first gator I shot was when I was six or seven with my dad,” Purnell said. “I’ve been gator hunting every summer since.”

Each time Purnell hunts, his family shoots ANOTHER ONE DOWN Sitting in the bed of a truck, senior Corson about three allgators in order Purnell returns from a successful out of town hunt. to maintain a healthy population.. He then sends them to a leather clothing maker to have the, turned into a variety of accessories.

“Once I kill them, we clean them, get the meat if you want, send the skin in to some craftsmen who make them into leather wallets, belts or even boots.” Purnell said.

And that’s what Southern Pride is about to Purnell.

“What makes hunting a Southern tradition is that, when you’re in the bubble of Dallas, you can’t dress up in boots and jeans and go hunting. It’s the city life versus the country life. All Southern men want to go back to their roots and hunt.”

d foods or that idea of pitality.

s this difference someg that grew over time, or it more ingrained since founding of the original onies? also certainly possible that gious or other motivations e a part of this kind of a of southern culture. After he Puritans and original es and colonies such as mestown and Massachusetts e founded with a much e defined religious goal pposed to something like ginia which was primarily cultural.

at about this idea of uthern hospitality” ? ce the south was until ch more recently essential-

ly a frontier of sorts, maybe that idea of hospitality was a result of the often really long distances between towns or homesteads.

State fairs and the love of fried foods?

As for fried foods, you know, I love my fried chicken, my steak, like we all do, but I really couldn’t tell you why that’s a big part of southern cuisine.

How did the civil war affect the South’s identity?

This man named James McPherson wrote a book titled “Battle Cry of Freedom” which has been pretty well recognized as one of the best depictions of that [Civil War] era.

Something interesting he noticed after perusing records and letters from before the

When it comes to Southern cooking, senior Carrington Kyle knows it all.

From crayfish to fried chicken, Kyle will try anything - so long as it has Tabasco on top.

“My favorite Southern meal is my mom’s red beans and rice,” Kyle said.

“The thing that gives it the most flavor is the sausage—you’ve got to have sausage in red beans and rice.”

But Kyle would put Tabasco on almost anything, from steak to fried crayfish, another favorite food. .

THE VITAL TOPPING Senior Carrington Kyle believes Tobasco is the most important topping for any true Southern meal.

“I’ve tried pretty much all of the flavors,” he said. “I think there’s eight of them, but if I had to choose the best one, it would be original.”

For Kyle, Tabasco is an important part of what makes Southern cuisine special — a spicy kick.

“With Tabasco, it’s not just about the spice. You’ve got all of the flavor too that works really well with Southern food in general.”

And if he has to ‘THE THING THAT head north to attend college after graduation GIVES IT THE MOST FLAVOR IS THE this year, Kyle knows he will miss his mom’s SAUSAGE--YOU’VE Southern style cooking GOT TO HAVE for dinner each and SAUSAGE IN RED every night.

BEANS AND RICE.’ “Even when I’m up north on vacation, I still miss theSouthern aspects of life — especially the meals. It might be tough to go north for college.”

Civil War and after that event was this sort of change in American identity, from this sort of 3rd person plural to singular. For example, nowadays you might read on the news “America is playing Belgium in the World Cup” but before the civil war, it was much more common to hear something like “The United States are going to ORIGINS Dr. John Perryman sign a treaty with credits the rough frontier England” so really nature of the early South with despite what seems the feelings of heritage and actually pretty logical pride that run rampant today. or reasonable, the civil war may not have been a significant factor in this sort of split in culture you’re talking about.

—Interview by Vik Pattabi

Point/Counterpoint The hot-button issue of Confederate flag art on license plates

THE CONFEDERATE FLAG

Should it stay, or should it go?

Looking at the First Amendment

F

irst of all, I believe the Confederate Flag represents pro-slavery in the South.

Many Southerners argue that the Civil War was fought for other reasons than just slavery, such as economic issues, but truthfully, every issue in the Civil War was, in some way or another, revolved around slavery.

Confederate Flag supporters also argue that the war represents heritage and not hate, but their heritage was full of hate, which is not something anyone should be proud of.

While I do not support the use of the Confederate Flag on license plates or anywhere else, the use of the flag should not be banned.

We are granted freedom of speech by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution; therefore, banning the use of Confederate Flags on license plates would be going against our Constitution.

Those who argue that the law should be curtailed are forgetting that slave ships sailed from Africa under the American flag, not the Confederate flag. My point here is that other national emblems can be associated with slavery, too.

Ultimately, most people who fly the Confederate Flag are racist, and if they are not racist, they have an arrogant understanding of the Civil War. But, they are Americans, and their rights to freedom of speech should be upheld, not taken away.

— SENIOR Travis Nadalini

A symbol of slavery

U

nder the Constitution, the Confederate flag will always be protected by free speech for people to fly on their own proudly. But here are a few facts to consider: The Confederate battle flag has been appropriated by the Ku Klux Klan and other racist hate groups.

The flag represented the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, in which the Confederates fought to keep their slaves.

The design of the flag was to invoke Confederate ideology. The flag was praised during the 1860s because it embodied “the destiny of the Southern master and his African slave.”

Although people now use the Confederate flag as representation of their Southern pride and heritage, it is important to see the deeper meaning. Much like any symbol does, the Confederate flag carried immense meaning during a time when African Americans were sold, owned and mistreated. And much like any symbol, it is hard to erase that meaning. Take for instance the Nazi’s swastika, the Christian’s cross, and the Jew’s Star of David; each symbol evokes an unsaid message.

For many people, the Confederate flag evokes a message of hatred and of a time when African Americans were treated as less than human. For our government to produce Confederate flag license plates, which can evoke a message of hatred, goes against what a government is designed to do. Therefore, it is in bad taste that the government produces these license plates and thus, they should be banned.

— SENIOR Miguel Plascencia

, COURTESY KIM HEXT, MARTIN TIRMENSTEIN, CORSON PURNELL

L THE REMARKER LIFE SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 16

to build

The main body of the organ

AN ORGAN

THE BACKSTORY

ASSEMBLING AN ORGAN, PIECE BY PIECE BY PIECE

MASON SMITH PHOTO STORY

A

Seniors Matthew Co, Wyatt Martin and Weston Blair

New keys on the organ

The unpainted pipes of the organ

‘THE CHAPELS IN DECHERD WITH THE HIDDEN PROJECTOR SCREEN AND UNCOMFORTABLE ATMOSPHERE MAY BE FRUSTRATING FOR NOW, BUT IT WILL ALL BE WORTH IT.’ PHOTOGRAPHER MASON SMITH

new organ for the chapel, built by Orgues Létourneau of Quebec, arrived on campus Sept. 3 and workers have started the production phase. The organ is Opus 127, meaning it is the 127th organ model the company has built.

The custom-designed organ is built specifically for the dimensions of the chapel in order to fill the space with optimal sound, unlike the previous organ, which was fitted for the school’s old chapel. This organ contains 61 ranks, or rows of pipes that are exactly alike, and has a total of 3,420 pipes, with some as long as 32 feet.

After a long process of traveling to view organs and interviewing companies, a committee selected Orgues Létourneau to build the new organ to be placed in the chapel. Once the twoyear construction and tuning process in their factory was finished, the organ was ready to be delivered.

According to Choirmaster Tinsley Silcox, the process of building and tuning the organ is very intricate.

“Because that instrument, of course, is completely handmade and completely built from scratch,” Silcox said. “All of the wood was completely cut and finished in their factory.”

The metal pipes are melted in an oven in the factory. Different types of metal are mixed together in the oven to create a specific sound. The pipes are then cooled in a 40-foot marble mold before being rolled into shape.

Once the organ arrives, it takes two weeks to build the organ’s case and to install the pipes and console.

The tuning process can take six to eight weeks because each pipe must be tuned independently.

“It’s a two-to-three-person job,” Silcox said. “One person is sitting at the console holding down the note; one person is up in the casework slightly moving the individual pipe.”

Silcox expects the organ will be playable by Sept. 30, and the first rough tuning will be Oct. 1, as scheduled.

Until the organ is ready, the choir will sing Evensong services at Church of the Transfiguration, with their first Oct. 5.

—Corday Cruz

Choirmaster Tinsley Silcox

The settings on the organ

THE REMARKER LIFE SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 17 L DJD PRODUCTIONS

sky’s

The the limit

Alums Daniel Hersh ‘13 and Michael Doorey ‘13 capture unique aerial photography over Dallas using a camera and an airborne drone.

D

aniel Hersh ’13 spent his summer working at Value Management Group (VMG) Health, but on Aug. 15, he felt he had bigger fish to fry. His Twitter was blowing up: “@dallasnews check out this video of #Dallas. Some AWESOME footage here.” “@fox4lauren Check out this #Dallas promo video. There’s some sweet footage here. It’s good enough for the news!!” “@DMagazine Check out this awesome #Dallas promo video.

You’ll love it, I promise.”

Hersh, who founded the multimedia company DJD Productions with classmate Michael Doorey ’13, knew the company could only expand with publicity, so they created the now-famous aerial Dallas promotional video, which has been promoted by D Magazine, The Dallas Morning

FLIPPING OUT (Above) DJD productions captures a wake boarder flying high over Lake Austin. (Right) US sport aircrafts align for a striking photo opportunity.

News and other local media outlets.

“Since [the Dallas video], we’ve been getting calls, lining up gigs and now we’re doing other stuff, too,” Hersh said. “So now we both have drones, we both have DSLR cameras, we both have all sorts of stuff, and that’s kind of how it started. We’re just going with what happens.”

Doorey and Hersh, who worked together on The ReMarker as head photographer and editor, respectively, got the idea to collaborate on multimedia projects from a video they shot together while on vacation in Mexico. Now they’ve lined up about five paid gigs in addition to some licensing agreements.

“We let the mayor and DFW Airport have the video and they are going to use it,” Hersh said.

Doorey and Hersh seek to

provide professional multimedia services at a fraction of the cost, made possible by their utilization of Go Pro cameras and drones.

When compared to hiring a helicopter and a camera crew, DJD Production’s fees are negligible, which is what really attracts customers.

“An aerial shot used to cost tens of thousands of dollars to rent a helicopter, to rent a pilot, to run fuel and to do all the insurance stuff, and I got hired for like $200,” Hersh said. “It’s a huge time saver on both of our ends, a huge money saver. It’s not brand new, it’s not super cutting-edge, but it’s just super useful. And right now, when there are not that many regulations, it’s a really untapped market and people see a lot of value in it.”

Although DJD Productions has potential to become a very profitable company, Hersh and

Doorey aren’t in it for the money.

“We’re not worried about sucking money out of you,” Hersh said. “We’re worried about making sure you’re happy and making sure that we put everything we possibly can into whatever video we’re making so that the end product is professional level for not nearly as much money.

The equipment does cost a lot of money so we’re not free, but we want to make sure that everyone stays happy and we’re new to the whole scene so we want to get our names out there and connect our names with a good product.”

In the end, more valuable than any client-base or profit margin is the experience gained from running one’s own business and creating professional-grade media.

“Most people who are 20 years old aren’t going to open up their own company and file tax

STORY DAVIS MARSH | PHOTOS USED WITH PERMISSION DJD PRODUCTIONS

returns and know how to be able to balance sheets and that sort of stuff and we’re going to have to do that,” Hersh said. “And it’s more fun than it is work so it’s not that daunting I guess. I’m in journalism school so making videos, taking photos is pretty essential for those skills.”

Hersh sees his company as a prime example of what it takes for a new college graduate to be recognized in today’s brutal job market.

“Do what we did with the Dallas video because no one wants to talk to you if you just say you can do something, but if you actually go and do it, then it’s a huge deal,” Hersh said. “I would say if you’re passionate about something don’t wait for an opportunity. You need to go make an opportunity. Just make sure you do it well and take advantage of whatever comes up.”

V THE REMARKER THE VIBE SEPTEMBER 26 2014 PAGE 18

THEVIBE

THIS ISSUE CAFETERIA FOOD

Reviewing the very best and very worst of it all

Cafeteriaconcoctions

There are three lunch lines to choose from. Maybe only one, if you’re unlucky enough to get sixth period lunch. Students have always found ways to escape the monotony of Sloppy Joe’s and chicken tenders, and this time, reviews specialist Jacob Chernick sends them in the right direction.

Chocolate Milkshake

Peanut Butter Ice Cream

This heavenly creation has been a well-known staple of Thursday lunches since the dawn of recorded history. Probably the most popular cafeteria concoction of all time, the slightly clumpy ice cream/chocolate milk blend actually ends up tasting surprisingly similar to a bona fide chocolate shake when mixed properly by skilled Marksmen hands.

Even teachers will occasionally be observed making these heavenly cups of unhealthy goodness, presumably imitating the true artisans of improvisational eating, the students.

This item presents one of the strongest cases for having chocolate milk available every day of the week.

Every time I see a classmate preparing one of these in a paper cup I shake my head in shame and wonder how on Earth he got accepted into this institution.

This uninspired dish must be an acquired taste, because to me it tastes exactly like just some ice cream with peanut butter dropped in it (which, sadly, it is….)

To make matters worse, the unmixable peanut butter clumps almost immediately congeal into frozen balls of slimy, hardened sadness when exposed to the coldness of the soft serve. I recommend this concoction only to the most desperate dessert-lovers on days when chocolate milk is regrettably absent.

C+

A+

Jalapeño and Cheese Sandwich One of the newest and most creative backup meals to be employed by lunch-goers, this sandwich is a variation of the ever-popular toaster-grilled cheese. The recipe involves putting a slice of cheese on each piece of bread and jalapeño slices in the center, then sticking the whole thing in the snack room’s often-forgotten toaster. This spicy entrée was allegedly invented last year by an innovative third grader dissatisfied with the day’s bleak menu. That boy will probably end up placing out of three years at Harvard before ending world hunger at the age of twenty-two.

Surprisingly, the melty, spicy sandwich is actually much tastier than it sounds.

Perfect for those true Texans who crave a spicy kick but aren’t willing to wait for Indian food day.

B+

USING WHAT YOU’VE GOT While there’s always the option of a turkey sandwich when you’re not really feeling the main entrée, it may be best to put a more personal spin on what you eat.

Microwaved Nachos

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Whether they’re imitating Will Ferrell in Stepbrothers or searching for ways to imitate junk food with the cafeteria’s health-conscious ingredients, students have made homemade nachos one of the most popular concoctions in the lunch room.

These shameful microwaved bowls of broken tortilla soup chips and melted taco cheese are often responsible for the complete lack of unbroken chips left for students who actually want them for their soup. The cold cheese bubbles in the microwave and almost immediately hardens upon removal into clumpy, solid chunks of burnt cheese.

This thing doesn’t even deserve to be called nachos.

This decidedly uninspired creation features an incredibly complex recipe said to require years of intensive training to even begin to master. These “mashed potatoes” are basically made by mixing a crushed baked potato and all the normal toppings with a small amount of cold milk. The milk thins the buttered potato just enough to make it vaguely resemble mashed potatoes, given you squint at it from the right angle.

Add too much milk, however, and the dish immediately dissolves into a watery potato milkshake. In my opinion this dish tastes far better when done right than the pre-made mashed potatoes served in the lunch line. Maybe it’s the bacon bits. Despite its great taste, this concoction loses points for originality.

D+

B

REVIEWS JACOB CHERNICK | PHOTOS ALDEN JAMES

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are provided free of charge to students, faculty and staff at various distribution sites on campus and at our sister school, The Hockaday School. More than 2,600 copies are mailed out to alumni courtesy of the school’s offices of External Affairs, Development and Alumni divisions.

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student newspaper of St. Mark’s School of Texas Dallas, TX 75230. 214.346.8000 www.smtexas.org/remarker

ALDEN JAMES PHOTO

The Dini era begins New Headmaster David Dini’s first months in office have shown faculty and students a fresh new tone. Page 20

Summer reading seminars still relevant?

Reading for pleasure, students and teachers should give more importance to the summer reading requirement. Page 21

MASON SMITH PHOTO

EDITOR IN CHIEF MATTHEW CONLEY MANAGING EDITOR SHOURYA KUMAR CREATIVE DIRECTOR ZUYVA SEVILLA DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR ALEX KIM ISSUES EDITOR VIK PATTABI HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER MASON SMITH SENIOR CONTENT EDITOR CYRUS GANJI OPINION EDITORS CAMERON CLARK, WILLIAM CALDWELL BUSINESS MANAGER ROBY MIZE NEWS EDITORS BRADFORD BECK, NOAH KOECHER LIFE EDITORS WILL CLARK, AVERY POWELL SPORTS EDITORS PHILIP SMART, ZACH NAIDU GRAPHICS DIRECTOR ABHI THUMMALA CAMPUS COORDINATOR RICHARD JIANG PHOTO EDITOR ALDEN JAMES MALE CALL EDITOR PHILIP MONTGOMERY REVIEWS SPECIALIST JACOB CHERNICK COPY EDITOR WILLIAM SYDNEY STAFF ARTISTS PURUJIT CHATTERJEE, JOON PARK STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS SAM EICHENWALD, ARNO GOETZ, WESLEY HIBBS, GRAHAM KIRSTEIN, CAM LAM, ADAM MERCHANT, CONNER OLSON, TIM O’MEARA, NICO SANCHEZ, FRANK THOMAS, CORBIN WALP, MATT WOODBERRY STAFF WRITERS RISH BASU, AIDEN BLINN, NICK BUCKENHAM, DANIEL COPE, JOHN CRAWFORD, CORDAY CRUZ, JAMES HANCOCK, KEVIN HE, CASE LOWRY, AKSHAY MALHOTRA, DAVIS MARSH, AIDAN MAURSTAD, CRAWFORD MCCRARY, PARKER MCWATTERS, MATTHEW PLACIDE, GOPAL RAMAN, ANVIT REDDY STAFF ASSISTANTS ANDRE ARSENAULT, DAVIS BAILEY, KAL BUSCAINO, CARSON CROCKER, RETT DAUGBJEREG, BLAKE DAUGHERTY, ALEC DEWAR, WILL FORBES, ELLIOT FORD, ZACHARY GILSTRAP, JOHN GUNNIN, ALAN JIANG, ZOHEB KHAN,HENRY KISTLER, CANYON KYLE, CHRIS MCELHANEY, MIKE MAHOWALD, NICK MALVEZZI, NAFTAL MAUTIA, AUSTIN MONTGOMERY, WASEEM NABULSI, SEUN OMONIJE, ETHAN PITTSON, REECE RABIN, OMAR RANA, JIMMY RODRIGUEZ, KOBE ROSEMAN, SAM SHANE, MOHIT SINGHAL, SAM SUSSMAN, OLAN WARE, WILL WOOD ADVISER RAY WESTBROOK

COMMENTARY

THE REMARKER

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPT. 26, 2013 | PAGE 19

Eugene McDermott Headmaster David Dini speaks at his first opening convocation in his new position. Page 20

Squaring off, Page 21

EDITORIAL

LIFTING RESTRICTIONS Athletic coaches are asking more and more from their student-athletes, so we’d encourage school officials to consider options which would make the weight room more accessible during school hours.

ZUYV

A

LA I SEVIL

LLUST

E

R AT I O

N

ver since the beginning of last year, the school’s weight room has been closed unless there is proper adult supervision. Usually, that supervision came from coaches or other members of the INCREASED DEMAND FOR athletic staff.

USE OF THE ATHLETIC WEIGHT We underROOM DURING SCHOOL HOURS stand why this is so, for it makes all SUGGESTS THE SCHOOL MUST LOOK AT OPTIONS FOR of the activities in the weight room SUPERVISION. OTHERWISE, much safer. We ATHLETES WILL CONTINUE would hate to have any injury in TO BE FRUSTRATED IN THEIR EFFORTS TO DEVELOP the room because of improper superCOMPETITIVE TRAINING vision.

METHODS FOR THEIR We do not believe, however, RESPECTIVE SPORTS. that the supervisors are there often enough during the day, and we feel there needs to be a better system so students can have full use of the facilities.

Many times, students want

what

comes to

to work out, but once they reach the weight room, there are no coaches to supervise their lifting, forcing students to be locked out.

Take football for example.

We know these athletes utilize lifting for strength and conditioning as much as possible, but team members frequently are not able to do so during the day because there is no coach in the weight room to supervise.

We understand that the budget is already set for this year, but we ask Athletic Director Mark Sullivan and other school officials to consider these changes for the next year since the budgeting process for the 2015-2016 school year will begin next month: We think that a proctor system would be most advantageous.

Like the study hall room, the athletic department could assign different coaches to watch over the room every

single period of the school day.

It could be a cycle that all of the coaches go through everyday.

Another recommendation is that after-school PE coaches come early to the weight room before coaching their class. We would think that the coaches would be able to open the doors at 3:05, and this would give every student a chance to lift during the day.

If neither of the suggestions above work, then the school should consider hiring a weight training coach once appropriate funds could be found, whose sole responsibility would be to watch over the weight room and help athletes with the correct lifting form.

We understand the safety measures the school must take regarding the weight room. However, we believe these changes could give student-athletes a chance during the day to work out and lift weights.

We’ve all been there. We’ve all experienced that feeling of guilt and that shred of hope that just maybe we’ll get away with whatever we’ve just done. Whether accidental or not, we’ve all been in trouble at some point.

mind?

•

I knew I was in trouble when...

...I dropped the Thanksgiving turkey.

— Junior Graham Kirstein ...I pulled into the parking lot, and the team bus had already left.

— Assistant Head of Upper School Dr. John Perryman ...I saw Mr. Clayman walking toward me.

— Eighth grader Myles Jones

NEXT MONTH’S PROMPT

...I put a fork in the microwave.

— Sophomore Teddy Koudelka ...You walked in.

— Junior Kent Broom ...I showed up late, and Mr. Brown gave me a death stare.

— Senior Corson Purnell ...I didn’t do my homework.

— Seventh grader William Gonzalez

‘The title of my autobiography would be...’

Submit your response to 16clarkc@smtexas.org for a chance to be featured in next month’s paper.

C THE REMARKER COMMENTARY SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 20

EDITORIAL

The Dini era begins with a splash

W

e saw him do the ALS ice bucket challenge. We saw him wearing shorts and a polo at the ESD football game.

We heard his engaging speech at the opening convocation, his words carrying over the buzz of Hick’s Gym like former headmaster Arnie Holtberg’s once did.

After his first 100 days of working in office, we felt it was appropriate to acknowledge the new environment Eugene McDermott Headmaster David Dini has been creating throughout the campus.

Even without the bow tie that we were accustomed to seeing every day, Dini has made an excellent first impression with his approach-

ability and determination that has everyone at 10600 Preston Road ready to get to work.

His previous experience and impressive work with the school have the student body and faculty confident that he can lead such a unique community.

Of course, we still miss the legacy that Holtberg left at the school, but Dini has showed us no signs of slowing down.

Instead, he’s taking this new generation of Marksmen and leading us confidently on our paths to manhood.

And the easiness with which he seems to have settled into the office has made this process of

target practice

hey’ve caught on to us, gents. Gone are the days of strolling in 35 minutes late into 8:00 A.M. Senior Ceramics, for all fine arts classes have moved away from first period. If you waited until the last possible moment to fulfill your fine arts credit then don’t forget to set your iPhone’s Marimba on, because you will surely be awake to get clay onto your senior shirt.

A

CAMERON CLARK PHOTO

SHOURYA KUMAR PHOTO

T

P

oor fishies. They swim and swim and swim.

Give them life? Or give them a dirty, dirty tank? It’s just not fair. It’s not how the world works... or should work. What if your house had icky stuff all over the walls? It’s an injustice to the fishkind. Just keep swimming, fishies, just keep swimming. Stay strong.

It just wasn’t genuine. I couldn’t pin-point what, but something about his gaze unsettled me and sent shivers down my spine. I couldn’t tell whether to run away or to hug him.

I met the 14-year-old Burmese boy at the Golden Lion Buddhist Monastery during my five-day stay in Shwe Bo, a town in the Sagaing Region of Myanmar. It was July 19, the third week of my month-long stay in Myanmar on a summer study trip.

During those short weeks,

New juice machines | Bullseye

he succulent fluids flow out of the glowing dispenser with an aura of freshness. The possibilities are endless. Apple juice. Orange juice. Or if you are bold enough: both at the same time! Sometimes we find ourselves standing there. We make our way back to the table. We sip the beverage, one as juicy as the fro atop Juice’s head, reminiscing the fruitless past yesteryear. At the end of the day, it is juice, and juice is good.

Fish tanks | Missing the water

ALEX KIM

Class of 2015 | A little off

T

h man… another beautiful day at school. We just can’t wait to turn into the campus grounds and see our smiling teachers and friends. But oh…wait.

There seems to be thousands of cars blocking us from the myriad of homework, emails and other activities that we didn’t do last night. So, in our impulsive, semi-psychopathic rage, we curse ourselves, we curse our little brothers in the passenger seat, and we curse morning carpool. Please, stop the madness before we graduate.

T

See also ‘100 days of David Dini,’ page 3.

things that hit or miss their mark at 10600 Preston Road

Morning carpool | A lot off

hey say the eyes are the windows to the soul. But when I looked into his, I felt like I was looking into a cave full of darkness.

He was like a ghost. Even when he smiled, he didn’t look happy, and, when he scowled, he didn’t look angry. His eyes made every facial expression just a different twist of blank.

adjusting to a new headmaster stress-free. After 100 days, we are very satisfied with the direction Dini is taking us.

We look forward to being a part of the new era that Dini is establishing at St. Mark’s, and we are eager to work with him for many years to come. We know his approachability will allow us to work together smoothly, to make this great place even better.

So, Mr. Dini, we thank you for stepping up to the difficult yet rewarding task of running 10600 Preston Road. We’re looking forward to the next 100 days and to the many days to come.

The nameless Burmese soldier boy I saw a country in motion, one that is seeking democracy, liberty, peace and economic prosperity.

We saw a pious country, the Land of Golden Pagodas, for the thousands of gold-painted pagodas dotting the landscape.

But, that day, as I listened to the boy speak, I saw an oppressed country, still terribly backward in its treatment of its people. With a Burmese university student to translate for him, the boy told me the tragic story of how the Burmese government ripped him from his parents’ arms.

Only 11-years-old, he was drafted into the military and was sent straight to the northern region of Myanmar, where a civil war rages between the Burmese government and the Kachin people.

There, the boy faced the threat of not only the Kachin rebels, but also his superiors, who often would beat him for no apparent reason. He was not alone.

Other boys from all over Myanmar had been sent to the war zone, too.

It was because of them, he said, he was able to endure a whole year. In the worst of times, he and his friends toughed it out together, praying that, one day, when the fighting finally ended,

they’d be allowed to go back home.

Then, one day, the boy and two of his closest friends were ordered to plant mines out on a field. Dozens of mines had been placed already but were poorly marked. The task was too risky, of course, for the “real men” to do themselves.

As the boy gingerly covered a mine he had just armed, his best friend went ahead to start digging another spot. Suddenly, with a deafening explosion, his friend shot several meters into the air and landed with a thud. Legs gone.

Dead.

Devastated, the boy fled. He traveled aimlessly for several months, hitchhiking to get from town to town. He’d briefly work at diners as a server boy (very common in Myanmar) for some quick cash and free food and ask monks if he could sleep in the local monastery.

Finally, almost two years after being drafted, the boy arrived at Shwe Bo, where he found a very different kind of monastery. The Golden Lion, once the training grounds strictly for novice monks, had converted into a public school of sorts. The head monk had opened it to any child in need

of shelter, food or education, or, in the boy’s case, all three.

Now 14, the boy dreams of becoming a dancer after he “graduates” from Golden Lion when he turns 18. He has no idea how but he says that’s something he’ll figure out when he gets there.

I’d like to say there’s a moral to this story. But can there be? I mean, we don’t face oppression or worry about getting drafted into the military, especially as a child.

We fight no civil wars. We have democracy and freedom. We live in the “Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.”

But let me tell you what that phrase means to the Burmese. To them and many around the world, America is the beacon of liberty and democracy, the epitome of all a nation should offer.

The dozens of Burmese university students and graduates I met look up to America. They ask about all sorts of questions, from the kind of clothes we wear to the wars we fight. They can’t get enough.

When I told them that, yes, we have the right — the responsibility — to take up arms against our government if it grows too powerful, they gasped and asked if

we ever had to exercise that right.

I replied, no, there hasn’t been a real uprising against the federal government since the Civil War. But then, soon after I returned home, I found my country torn by the unrest in Ferguson. Not only did the incident reveal inequality in our judicial system, it also shocked the nation with the militarization of the police.

While the Burmese government is waging war against ethnic minorities demanding equality, the United States is putting down demonstrations with a police force better equipped than the Burmese army itself.

Isn’t the only difference between the two in degree and not matter? Are we really not better than that? If so, then do we, as a country, really deserve the respect we receive?

To this day, I don’t remember that 14-year-old’s name. But I think there’s some value in leaving him nameless. After all, his name could very well have been Alex.

Or David. Or Matthew. He could’ve been you.

We are incredibly fortunate to live in this country at this time.

Never forget to be grateful. But, always keep in mind that there’s still a lot more work to be done.

THE REMARKER COMMENTARY SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 21 C

long STORY short

CONCISE OPINION ON CAMPUS MATTERS

the good CAFETERIA LINE MANAGEMENT CAMERON CLARK PHOTO

Last year, if a student wanted to get his lunch quickly, he had to survive the mosh pit that never failed to form in front of the cafeteria doors. Once the doors swung open, Middle School students were forced to duck and pray as the charge of Upper School Students rolled through the lunch line.

This year, Middle School Assistant Head Dean Clayman has brought organization and sanity to the lunch line by allowing students into the line a few at a time, making grabbing lunch much easier. Now we can get to our food without risking an injury in the process.

A miserable journey to the under-belly of Dallas society... all in a night’s work

I

t’s four in the morning and I’m standing outside of a white van on Harry Hines.

Just then, a brand-new red Camaro pulls up with two college students, and I get in.

“Don’t forget to get pictures of the DPD officers.

And keep her safe,” the van driver says, pointing to the driver of the red Camaro.

I nod my head and the woman I am supposed to protect pushes the gas pedal.

the bad HONORS RECOMMENDATIONS CAMERON CLARK PHOTO

Honors Recommendations should be made more deliberately and fairly. For example, the math department’s practice of having seventh graders choose between Investigation and Connections, or honors and non-honors classes, potentially results in a student making a decision that, at a more mature age, he may regret.

Similarly, no student should be deterred from taking AP English language — if a student wants to take a course, he should be encouraged to take it. All recommendations should be based on a student’s passion and drive for a subject, regardless of the matter at hand.

the ugly SUMMER SEMINAR EVALUATION

CAMERON CLARK PHOTO

We understand the objective of the summer seminar books is to provide students with an opportunity to read books of their choosing.

However, we do think that neither the discussion leaders nor the students are taking this assignment seriously.

Oftentimes, some discussion leaders will simply mark a perfect score on the report form, which goes to advisees, just as long as the student shows up. Wouldn’t the intended purpose of these seminars be improved if more structure was given? Perhaps in the form of a report form for students to complete before the seminar is held?

Triceps

Cyrus Ganji

At the request of my mom, an investigative reporter for Fox News who needed help with a story, we pull into the parking lot, and I reach into my pocket to make sure my wallet and the GoPro camera are still there.

As we approach the entrance, I immediately realize I am playing under an entire new set of rules.

This is not the society I’m used to.

A man’s crumpled brown paper bag is the first thing that catches my sight.

Then his rough voice and hunched back.

He steps through the crowd, sticks the bag in front of me and asks a straightforward question.

“Hey man, you want

squaringoff

E

Editorial Board members Cyrus Ganji and Shourya Kumar square off on the ideal arm.

MASON SMITH PHOTO

nvision this: You’re walking away from a steaming hot babe, because you’re cool and walk away from steaming hot babes.

She can’t see your face,, but she can see two things: 1. Your hairline, as you walk away.

2. The massive stones sitting on the back of your arms, better known as triceps.

In that moment, when she sees your tris, endorphins are released in her mind. These endorphins prompt her not only to approach you, but tap you on the shoulder. She proceeds to ask your name, home telephone number and permanent place of residence. She also asks for your hours of operation and social security number, which you happily give her.

You are euphoric. You go home, inform your parents of the day’s events and then— obviously — head down to the weight room to pump out ten sets of fifty reps of 250 pounds of tricep pulldowns. You also use the neck machine religiously, but that’s irrelevant.

Who is this studly lad, one might wonder? His name is Shouryka Kumar.

Though Shourya might be writing on behalf of his biceps, which — objectively — are close to nonexistent, his true passion lie in the tricepses.

So, in conclusion, we shall list why triceps are far superior to their bi counterparts: 1. Biceps form meatheads. Triceps do not. So, if you really want to become your neighborhood biff, feel free to curl.

2. All great men, and women, have had luscious tris: Cristiano Ronaldo, Hillary Clinton, Gandhi. The list goes on.

3. Whereas big bis do nothing but restrict lateral arm movement, healthy triceps are proven to decrease stress levels and increase perceived attractiveness.

What will it be?

P.S.: Shourya, your vernacular use of “bruh” is repulsive.

MATTHEW CONLEY

Triceps or Biceps?

some Molly?”

“Um, no thanks, I’m good.”

Before I even finish talking he’s gone, talking to the next person in line.

“Are you serious?” I ask one of the passengers from the red Camaro.

“What? You didn’t expect that to happen at least once? It’s the whole reason we’re here.”

I reach into my pocket again. It’s all still there.

Then come the women.

Dressed one step above a late-night pole dancer with an intellect comparable to that of a Dallas Zoo animal, they pull me way out of my comfort zone.

“Ladies, go around back and get in free tonight!” a man with a megaphone shouts at us.

An hour later I’m finally in.

Immediately, I’m exposed to an epileptic’s nightmare.

Red, green and blue lasers beam across the room as bright white strobe lights pulse to the music, sending Paul Simon-esque staccato symbols of constant information to my eyes — already damaged enough from my lack of sleep.

The rules are still missing inside — the drugs run free, and it’s easy to tell.

Then I remember why I’m here. I take out the GoPro and begin filming everything I possibly can — the lasers, the DJ, the pathetic men gawking at the scantily-dressed women.

And then it’s time to go.

I

I return to the white van and hand over the camera to the Fox cameraman — my undercover work is over.

I go home, arriving just as the sun comes up to the worst morning since the day my family history paper was due.

You may expect me to ramble on now about my life-changing, eye-opening experience in “the magical land outside of the bubble”, where my loose affiliation with St. Mark’s millionaires is off the table.

Really, though, it was quite the opposite. This was a miserable journey to the underbelly of Dallas society — the place where archetypal demons would live in a short story.

While it may not be my job to judge the decisions that other young adults are making, at some point, it becomes a clear issue of morality and not simply a differing opinion.

A few weeks before my undercover work at this nightclub on Harry Hines, an 18 year-old-girl overdosed on methamphetamine, and an off-duty Dallas Police officer told her friends to take her home and let her sleep. She was dead before they reached her bed.

The level of corruption, on both youth and, in this case, government, is something I had never been exposed to.

So the next time I’m offered an open door to a red Camaro at four in the morning on Harry Hines, I’ll think twice.

Biceps

’m sorry Cy, but since bi is two and tri is three, and since first is the worst, second is the best and third is the one with the hairy chest, you’re not getting any beach babes, bruh.

Also, she can’t see your face because she doesn’t want to see your face. Babes like biceps.

I’m gonna help you out. At the beach, bruh, people don’t walk away from bikini babes. Scratch that. You walk away from bikini babes. I walk towards them.

Now, now, there are three eras of biceps that I’m gonna throw down. There’s the Mesopotamian lifter-gatherers-who-also-hunt, the glorious gladiators of yesteryear and the beach boys of the ‘80s rockin’ radios on their bis.

First comes first. Actually, let’s start at second, because second is the best. The ancient greco-Roman gladiator tradition calls for the flexation of one’s beautifully bulging biceps brachii (note the alliteration) after a victory in the Colosseum.

Back to first. Do you know the first-ever human tradition? Flexation of the biceps. You kill a bear? Flex the biceps.

Gather some pineapples? Flex the biceps. Courting a mate?

Flex the biceps ; And now for ) our dear, dear friends — the beach boys of the 80s. I think it’s fair to say that the radios didn’t have portable batteries back then. How were they powered? Biceps.

Conclusively, biceps are better for the following reasons: 1. Was Johnny Bravo a meathead? I think not.

2. After consulting the three B’s of beach bods: Bar Rafaeli, Blake Lively and Kate Upton (I know Kate Upton’s not actually a B, but she’s a K and that counts for something), humanity can conclude that babes love the lusciousness of bis not tris.

3. Biceps are better.

Sorry Cy, I’ll catch ya later. Gotta curl.

Shourya Kumar

PHOTO COURTESY OF DREW TAYLOR

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPT. 26, 2014 | PAGE 22

S

weat -- from my forehead to cheeks.

Beads rolling into my mouth. I can taste the salt.

My clammy hands clench the fishnet-mesh ball bag, knuckles white.

The cap ring, the U-shaped metal ring with a red rubber handle, rocks side to side, loosely buckled to the side of my undersized backpack – stuffed with water bottles, protein bars and goggles.

Burdened by my bag, I waddle down the stairs into the natatorium. I feign a limp smile. Try to maintain the same calm and composure as the players in front of me.

The 14 guys change, warm up, begin passing.

And my job begins.

Inside my head I go nuts: Don’t screw up their cap numbers.

Make sure you don’t lose their goggles.

Remind them to use their mouth guards.

Lay out their robes.

Don’t forget the water. Don’t forget the water.

Don’t forget the water.

I can only imagine how much pressure everyone else feels. After all, they’ll be in the water. They’ll be the ones fighting for a state title. But that doesn’t help me, not even a little.

Making sure the players have everything they need, right now, it’s the most important job in the world.

And it’s my burden, my privilege, to carry out.

We line up for the introduction. I stand there, proud and nervous, as if I’m going to be playing myself. Then coach gives his pregame speech, calming me – of all people – for some reason. The starting seven plunge into the pool and line up against the lane rope.

The crowd roars as the ball floats at center pool.

Then the ref raises his right hand, eyes his assistant, nods his head, blows his whistle.

The game starts out tense. And before two minutes pass, the other team breaks through.

Twice. We’re down – 0-2.

But we regain composure. Jack Mallick ’14 rips a shot from seven meters. Tim Simenc puts one in the back of the net.

Tim lasers home one more. We are up.

Finally.

The horn sounds, the quarter ends, and the players swim over to the bench.

Where’d I put the water?

I scramble to find the one substance vital to the players at this very moment. I fling my bag and toss the robes.

Nothing.

Finally I see it – the case – under my chair. I rip it open, start handing out water.

The referee blows the whistle to signal the start of the next quarter, and I return to my post at the left of the bench.

The remainder of the game lacks drama, at least as far as my job. The guys have their robes and water every time they sub out. Bradley Mankoff ’14 keeps saving shots, Nathan Ondracek keeps scoring. Before long it’s no longer a competition.

Time winds down and the scoreboard reads 12-5.

The clock strikes zero and I heave myself into the water in celebration.

Everybody laughs, cries. I haven’t touched the water until this moment, and right then, I realize I’m just the manager.

I didn’t score a crucial goal or make a game-saving block.

But these guys make me feel like I have. They hug me like I made that shot, like I saved the season. They make me feel like a champion.

I am just the manager. But that’s fine with me.

Because we’re a team.

After failing to capture the SPC crown last year, the varsity football team faces new challenges as starting quarterbackWalter Johnson, , went down with an injury. Page 24

Out of gas When junior Drew Taylor broke his arm playing tennis, he finally decided to give up the sport he had been devoted to for eight years. Page 26

ALDEN JAMES PHOTO

Football preview

CAMERON LAM PHOTO

Clammy hands, roaring crowds

With changes to the grass and the removal of several divots and ruts, the Arthur P. Ruff baseball field is renovated and ready for play this spring.

ATHLETIC Tip-off STUDENTS’ ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Upcoming SPORTING EVENTS IN THE WEEKS AHEAD Today

Weekend

Next week

> Travelling to Oklahoma,

> Varsity cross country

> Junior varsity volleyball plays at Trinity Valley School Tuesday at 4:30 pm.

> Seventh grade volleyballl

> In AT&T Stadium, the

the junior varsity volleyball team plays Casady away at 4:30 p.m.

runs at Norbuck Park starting at 9 a.m. Saturday morning.

plays the Texas Boys Volleyball Association at home at 5 p.m.

> Middle School and ju-

nior varsity football play Oakridge Wednesday starting at 5 p.m.

Arkansas Razorbacks face the number six ranked-Texas A&M Aggies in an SEC rivalry showdown Saturday in College Station.

> In its first counter game,

varsity volleyball plays against Oklahoma City Casady at Casady at 6 p.m.

> Varsity volleyball plays Texas Boys Volleyball Association on Thursday at the Summit Volleyball Club.

> Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys take on Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints in a 7:30 p.m. Sunday night game in AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys look to win after the Saints won 49-17 in the Superdome last year.

> Varsity football takes on

Oklahoma City Casady at Casady at 7 p.m.

> Varsity football plays at

Oakridge on Thursday at 7 p.m.

F

rom Connecticut to Texas, 10 student-athletes from the Class of 2014 have gone on to compete at the collegiate level for their respective sports.

Former football captain John Caldwell ‘14, who scored 15 touchdowns last year, walked on the squad at Duke University. Mac Labhart ‘14, who played both linebacker and running back, walked on the team at Texas A&M University.

Jacob Wilner ’14, former kicker, is playing at Brown University and Malcolm Bowman ’14, leading rusher for the football team his junior year, is playing for Northwestern University.

Matthew Brown ’14, former captain of the cross country and track teams, made the squad at Texas Christian University to compete in fall cross country and track in the spring.

For the wrestlers, Zach Papin ’14 is wrestling for Washington and Lee and Winston Brewer ’14 for Trinity College in Connecticut.

In addition, Yima Asom ’14 made the soccer team at Dartmouth College, and Riley Graham ’14, who was lacrosse team MVP his senior year, recently walked on to lacrosse team at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Conclusively, Sam Khoshbin ‘14, former tennis captain, made the tennis team at the New York University.

•••

J

1:37 SENIOR MIGUEL PLASCENCIA’S TIME AROUND THE TRACK

ALDEN JAMES PHOTO

ZACH NAIDU

SPORTS

Home field advantage

YEEHAW Racing against other students, faculty and cheerleaders, senior

Miguel Plascencia rides toward the finish line in a pep rally Sept. 19.

new kid on the block

SOPHOMORE QUARTERBACK HYER THOMAS’S FIRST TWO GAMES

4

touchdowns thrown

5’6” his height

62%

completion percentage

31

completed passes

12 437

28

number he wears

passing yards

points per game

1

number of wins

3

number of interceptions

unior varsity football lost its first two games to Cistercian and ESD. The team only has 14 players, but quarterback Hill Washburn is hopeful the team will improve.

“Everyone is a hard worker and we’re coming back better than ever,” Washburn said.

The number of junior varsity runners is also small, with approximately 10 runners depending on the week. The team placed 20th out of 28 teams in the 6A junior varsity division at the Marcus I Invitational.

The volleyball junior varsity rookie and veteran teams are both off to solid 2-1 starts.

•••

B

oth seventh grade and eighth grade volleyball teams defeated Greenhill 2-0 Sept. 10. Both have enjoyed strong starts to the season.

Each team has a game against Texas Boys Volleyball Association in Hick’s Gymnasium Sept. 26. The seventh grade game starts at 5 p.m. and the eighth grade game starts at 6 p.m.

“We’re undefeated so far,” eighth grade volleyball coach David Evans said. “What I like about the team is that they’re showing a lot of resilience. They got down in this last match and came back and won in the second set. It was awesome to see that. I’m pleased with the team and hopefully we can keep on improving.”

The middle school cross country team has its second meet Sept.

26 at Norbuck Park.

Both seventh grade and eighth grade football teams played against Fort Worth Country Day Sept. 11.

The seventh grade team won 36-22 while the eighth grade team lost 6-21.

— Tip-off stories reported by Rish Basu, Will Clark and Anvit Reddy

Running a different route

After starting at quarterback his freshman year, Case Brabham was diagnosed with hip dysplasia. Facing his injuries, he left the school for a year and came back to play the game he loves: football.

C THE START Scrambling away from a Fort Worth Country Day lineman, Brabham eyes a target downfield while playing quarterback as a freshman.

THE SETBACK After the surgery for his hip, Brabham’s doctors tested his progress through lights on his body to capture images of his walking gait.

THE COMEBACK Avoiding defenders, Brabham played slot receiver his junior year. He helped the Lions to second place in SPC.

ase Brabham sees all his friends in blue shirts on the first day of school.

John Caldwell. Mac Labhart.

Victor Calvillo.

All his best friends. Friends he plays football with. Friends he didn’t get to see all of last year. Friends that he’s suppose to be with. But he isn’t.

Instead, Case pulls out his paper schedule from his pocket. Physics—a class you take junior year. He heads to Fletcher Carron’s room, walking up the familiar speckled stairs in the science building for the first time in almost two years.

Two years ago, when he had to watch his entire sophomore season from the sidelines because of the injury. The injury that indirectly made him spend his junior year at a semester school in Maine.

He walks into the classroom, filled with white shirts and unfamiliar faces.

Case sits down, ready to start his fourth year of high school in a white shirt.

Case Brabham sweats and soaks through the number 13 on the back of his uniform.

He could have chosen number 13 or number one for his freshman year, but Case didn’t want to be that guy. He isn’t the number one guy. Yet. He’s the third string quarterback. But starting senior quarterback Dean Butler ‘11 isn’t healthy. Instead, the second string junior quarterback Joe Bush ‘12 is the number one guy. Bush lines up against a powerful Prestonwood squad. But it’s only a scrimmage, and Case knows the quarterbacks aren’t supposed to get hit.

Bush hikes the football, and rolls out for a pass. A swarm of Prestonwood defenders take the quarterback down, unable to stop their crushing force before hitting him.

Bush gets caught in a pile. He’s slow to get up. He limps over to the sideline, holding his arm. Athletic trainer Doc Browning runs over to see what’s wrong.

Case doesn’t know what to think.

He knows it’s his time, but these meaty linebackers are so much bigger than the eighth graders Case dominated just a year ago. Bush wasn’t supposed to get hurt. It’s only a scrimmage. You can’t hit the quarterback. It’s a scrimmage.

Doc says something wasn’t right.

“I think it’s broken.”

Case straps on his blue Lions helmet and trots onto the field.

Listening to Heartbeat by Nneka as the

FINAL STAND During his senior year, Brabham lines up as a wide receiver in a 27-19 win against Cistercian August 29 in Hunt Stadium.

SPORTS

CASE BRABHAM

THE REMARKER SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 23 24 MAHOWALD IN BRAZIL 25 SEASON PREVIEWS 26 BURNT OUT ATHLETES 27 IRON MAN JAKE HOLDER

crowded travel-bus rolls toward the Bishop Dunne stadium, Case thinks about his first start as a freshman. The older guys like Dillard Pinkston ’12 and Ty Montgomery ’11 talk Case up.

You’re a great quarterback, especially for a freshman.

It’s our first game, just remember what we did in practice.

Their nose tackle is their only really good player.

Their nose tackle, Alex Norman, is committed to Texas. He always makes the sack, the tackle, the play. He’s a force offensive lines could not stop.

Eventually, the bus gets to the

stadium. Case’s nerves continue to shoot through his spine. During the game, he crouches and waits under the center.

Directly across from the feared nose tackle. All 280 pounds ready to storm through the line. All 180 pounds of Case are nervous. Until he hikes the ball.

Case slides his fingers around the laces, and whips a screen pass to Montgomery. He makes one defender miss.

Two. Three. He jukes them all and sprints toward the endzone.

Case, the freshman starting quarterback throws a touchdown.

It all seems like it might work out for the freshman.

He knows something doesn’t feel right.

He gets out of bed and feels a pain pierce his hip.

He walks. No pain. He walks faster.

The pain sharpens.

He irritated it yesterday in a baseball game, about the fifth game of his freshman year, but Case didn’t think it was serious. He hopes the pain will go away by the time he has to suit up to swing, throw and run in practice today.

Later, during practice, Case tries to jog it off. The pain is still there—it won’t go away. He had played football and baseball all his life. He had never gotten hurt.

He couldn’t get hurt.

His parents set up an appointment with a doctor to see what’s wrong. The doctor should just give a simple fix, and Case could get back out there for his sophomore season of football.

But Case sits in the doctor’s office at the Scottish Rite hospital with his mom and dad.

A doctor with a metal nametag that reads “Sucato” tells the family what’s wrong.

Hip dysplasia.

Case doesn’t even know what that means. Dysplasia? Will he need surgery?

His mom began researching. Not a lot of athletes have dealt with hip dysplasia. They don’t seem to come back from the injury.

But Case was going to have to. And that uncertainty meant surgery.

Watching from the sideline, Case doesn’t

feel like part of the team. Even though the Lions are beating Episcopal High School, a good team they lost to last year, on the road at their place, sophomore Case isn’t happy.

He knows he should be because he is part of the team. He goes to all the events and the practices and the games, but there’s a difference between him and them.

He can’t make the long touchdown throws. Scramble and dodge tacklers.

He can’t play. Instead he watches. Case’s team is playing great against a great team, about to steal a win, and he’s happy for them.

But it’s not the same. His injury holds him back.

He’s angry. Angry at his luck. Angry at his hip.

More than anything, Case wanted to get back out onto the field.

A towering flyball soars through the air in

STORY PHILIP SMART | PHOTOS MASON SMITH, COURTESY OF CASE BRABHAM

centerfield when the pains come back.

Case already had to sit out his sophomore football season because of surgery, and now fears of missing his sophomore baseball season and junior football season come rushing back.

All too familiar.

He went back to the same doctor.

Same injury. Same surgery. It’s all happening again.

Case needs a change—something to go his way.

His mom starts researching. She offers him a few solutions, one being spending the next year at the Chewonki Semester School in Maine.

There, he could take some time off school, heal and be ready to spend his junior year at St. Mark’s one year later than he was suppose to.

They had a plan. A plan to fix the injury that didn’t go according to plan.

‘I WAS NERVOUS REALLY UP UNTIL THE FIRST SNAP. ONCE THE GAME GETS GOING, YOU KIND OF FORGET ABOUT IT AND JUST PLAY.’ SENIOR CASE BRABHAM He went in for the day before surgery for his pre-op. Case had done this before.

He thought it would all be the same.

But the doctor said the last thing Case expected him to say.

Case wouldn’t need surgery.

He’s shocked. It was so out-of-leftfield Case can’t believe it. But what will this do to the plan he was supposed to follow?

If he could go back to St. Mark’s as a junior, he will miss out on the opportunity of the semester school he committed himself to.

If he goes to the semester school, he will have to take a break from football and risk not getting recruited.

Case starts writing. He lays out his options. He asks for advice from a man he respects—former headmaster Arnie Holtberg.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

TAKING HIS TALENTS TO MAINE Climbing the Appalachian trail during a six day backpacking trip in Maine, Brabham and his companions reach the peak. Brabham spent a semester at the Chewonki Semester School in Wiscasset, Maine.

S THE REMARKER SPORTS SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 24 FOOTBALL PREVIEW

An unlucky break

Without its senior quarterback, the varsity football team looks to overcome adversity and rally behind a a staunch defense, veteran leadership and an untested sophomore quarterback

H

e turned left. His knee turned right. Within two seconds, quarterback Walter Johnson had gone from field commander to sidelined with a completely torn MCL. “It was practice, we were running teams,” Johnson said, “moving the ball down the field, I was looking left to throw to Case [Brabham] on a quick route, one of the linemen fell into my knee, and it went inward.”

Out for four to six weeks according to the senior, Johnson has been replaced by sophomore Hyer Thomas, who takes the reigns of a varsity football team looking to improve on a playoff exit and 9-2 record. The Lions have started with a 29-17 victory over Cistercian with Johnson at the helm Aug. 29 and a 3414 loss to ESD with him sidelined Sept. 5.

Thomas’ goal is to improve his mental preparedness and lead the team moving forward.

“In everything INACTIVE After I do, I want to take it one step at a tearing his MCL earlier in the week, time, take it slow, senior quarterback and do whatever Walter Johnson I can to help the watches the Lions 34-14 to ESD from team,” Thomas the sideline Sept. 5. said.

After a summer of long practices, Thomas feels prepared to be the head of the offense.

“I expected Walter to be the quarterback, but I was preparing for the future during two-a-days by doing a lot of mental reps,” Thomas said. “Mainly preparing mentally, not physically, like I was learning the play book and really focused on that, so definitely I think I’m ready.”

Head coach Bart Epperson

believes his biggest challenge was building the team from the ground up.

“The biggest challenge when I was looking at the team coming up early in the summer was to build an offense and defense and build the camaraderie within the team and every day continuing to put everyone in the right direction,” Epperson said.

The defense this year is running a different scheme from last year: this year, the team plays four defensive linemen and an extra defensive back.

Offensively, the scheme has mostly remained STEPPING UP Extending his arm, sophomore quarthe same, besides some terback Hyer Thomas throws a deep pass in a 42-21 win against Fort Worth Country Day Sept. 12. Thomas lead his fine-tuning. team to a win in his second start as varsity signal-caller.

Epperson believes can only succeed by getting the most the offense and the defense will each out of their practice time. lead the team in their own respective “I’ve said they need to come to ways. practice and really practice to im“If you buy so much ownership prove, not just put a check by ‘attendinto your defense, your offense or ed practice’ and failing to get quality your special teams, then at the end of practice time,” Epperson said. “That’s the day, you will lead,” Epperson said. what I want to see each day when the “If everybody will get like that, with all team comes out here — if they truly three of them leading, we will have a came out here to get better or if they great team and a great season.” just came to practice.”

Johnson believes both Thomas and the team’s other backup, junior Matthew Placide, will succeed during his absence.

I’m very confident in both of them,” Johnson said. “Hyer did a great job against ESD under the circumstances; he only got one practice to prepare. Also, Matthew Placide has shown he’s a good option.”

Still, Epperson believes the team

‘I’M DEFINITELY GETTING A LOT MORE COMFORTABLE, BUT I STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO. I’M STILL GOING TO HAVE TO PUT IN A LOT MORE WORK.’ SOPHOMORE HYER THOMAS

STORY JOHN CRAWFORD | PHOTOS ADAM MERCHANT, ALDEN JAMES

Freshman Mahowald has memorable World Cup experience Even though the U.S. National Team faced a 1-2 deficit with less than 15 minutes remaining in extra time, everybody felt the team was on the verge of a comeback, destined to upset the heavily favored Belgians.

But then the ref blew his whistle, breaking the hearts of everybody in red, white and blue.

Like other American soccer fans, freshman Mike Mahowald was crushed by the national team’s loss.

However, he was 5,000 miles away in Salvador, Brazil, staring at the field on which the Americans had just played their final game of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. This summer, Mahowald and his family traveled to Brazil for two weeks, attending five World Cup matches while staying in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador.

While the trip was a

long way from Dallas, it was nothing new for Mike and his brothers, Matt ’14 and Nick ’12.

“Our family has a tradition of going to cool places to watch soccer,” Mahowald said.

“Two years ago we went to Poland and Ukraine and saw the European Cup. In 2006, we went to Germany to watch the World Cup.” Among the sites Mahowald and his family visited in Rio de Janeiro were Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer, the 98-foot-tall statue of Jesus.

“We thought Brazil was a very cultural and unique place,” he said. “So we were just really interested in going.”

While the crowds mainly consisted of Brazilians, Mahowald was one of many avid American soccer fans to make the trip to South America.

“Everywhere you went you would find someone in a U.S. jersey,” he said. “You could go up to that guy and start

chanting ‘USA’ or talk to him about the team. So yeah, USA was everywhere out there.”

Another aspect that made the experience special for Mahowald was the many different cultures that clashed

languages, which was unique.”

Despite these experiences, the ending to the United States’ tournament was still tough to swallow for Mahowald and the other Americans who traveled to Brazil.

PHOTO COURTESY MIKE MAHOWALD

by Zach Naidu

RED, WHITE AND BRAZIL Mike Mahowald (second

from left) and brothers Matt ‘14 (middle) and Nick ‘12 (second from right) enjoy the atmosphere in Recife, Brazil.

during the matches.

“Everyone speaks a different language,” he said. “So as you are watching the game, people are just screaming things in all these different

“You couldn’t really believe it was over. All of these fans were here, and USA was making such a good run at them,” Mahowald said. “It was kind of like, ‘wow.’”

CASE BRABHAM

Running a different route Continued from page 23 Case Brabham sprints a post route over

the St. Mark’s logo and snatches a pass for a first down in the semifinals against Episcopal High School.

Now it’s his junior year, and he’s the slot receiver–a decision he talked with head varsity football coach Bart Epperson about. A decision Case was happy about.

Case jogs up to the line of scrimmage. He looks to his right and throws a questioning hand to the stripped official. He’s onside, and senior quarterback John Webb ‘14 hikes the ball.

Case runs a similar route over the middle. Another big catch, another big gain.

John Webb then drops back and launches a pass to a teammate, scoring a touchdown. The Lions are in control, and the team keeps putting up points.

Coach Epperson takes out the starters at the start of the fourth quarter so they can get some rest for the championship.

The Lions win, and Case and the football team sing the Alma Mater to the crowd in the Norma and Lamar Hunt Stadium. The cheerleaders sing.

The band sings. The crowd sings.

Case sees his friends faces in the crowd. New friends, old friends. He wears his new number five jersey and plays a new position.

But it was the same game. And his team was heading to the championship, even if it wasn’t how he imagined it.

Coach Tim Murphy extends a strong arm and shakes Case’s hand. He looks him right in the eye as both men stand at 6’3”. Coach Murphy wears a camo Harvard hat that covers his salt and pepper, shot-cut hair.

His office is huge. Coach Murphy tells Case and his dad to sit down on the couch in front of the coach’s desk, lined with autographed footballs and tall trophies. The coach pulls the chair out from behind his desk and pulls it up next to a table and the couch.

Case likes the coach. He’s a laidback guy, and Case can’t imagine him being the type of coach who yells at the team constantly. The coach keeps talking about family. About Harvard’s character. And what’s most important in life.

Case likes that.

The next day, Case and his dad drive in their rented black Toyota Camry from Boston to Philadelphia. Case is thinking about Boston, and how he liked Harvard. He liked the coach, the atmosphere, the team.

He kept thinking. Waiting.

And then he felt a wishful vibration in his pocket. He pulled his phone out seeing the Massachusetts area code. Is this coach Murphy?

He answered. It’s the coach, and they want him to play at Harvard.

All the hard work has paid off. He remembers the time he puked out his Subway turkey-and-cheese sandwich during an intense workout with coach Dilworth. The early mornings and twoa-days. The Friday night games. But it had all been worth it.

Everything went unaccording to plan, but Case achieved his dream of playing in college.

But the coach said Case wouldn’t be playing quarterback. He wouldn’t even be playing slot receiver.

Just like everything else in Case’s journey, something changes.

The coach says Case will be playing tight end at Harvard.

THE REMARKER SPORTS SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 25 S

Falling into place

Fall sports hope to gain an edge at the start of the season

Fencing squad hopes to start year on right track in biggest tournament said. “But we are working to focusing on the Duel Sept.

27-28, coach Mahmoud develop a full, three-weaphe varsity fencing has his eyes set on an even on team (foil, epee and team hopes to start bigger competition. sabre).” the season on the “Our team was honWith help from capright track with a strong ored to be chosen to cotains Brody Ladd, Kunal showing at the Duel at Dalhost with four area clubs Dixil and Matthew Co las Regional Junior/Cadet to sponsor the Duel, but and experienced fencers Circuit (RJCC) tomorrow the RJCC competitions are like Mitchell So, Sankalp and Sunday at The Hockajust qualifying events for Agrawal and Grant Ubele, day School. the fencing Junior Olympic He believes the team has a This is the team’s first Championships Feb. legitimate shot at the tournational competition and 13-16, 2015 in Richmond, nament and tournaments although there is some Virginia,” Mahmoud said. to come. However, this pressure to perform well, “I expect several St. Mark’s tournament seems to be coach Hossam Mahmoud fencers tobe compet there.” pushing them forward. just wants the fencers to “Fencing for me is “Although there will enjoy themselves and give something I’m really be probably over 1,000 full effort. passionate about and it’s people at this competition, “This season will be a something I really enjoy,” I believe in this team and success if the fencers have He said,” so by giving all we in what we can do,” He said. fun and make new team have the team will also get “There’s no doubt in my members feel welcome,” good results, which really mind we can be successful Mahmoud said. “Every makes it worth it in the at the Duel.” member giving 100% effort end.”

Despite the team at practice and at tournaments would also be great.”

Junior Kevin He believes effort is essential for this year’s success.

“Since fencing is such an individual sport, the best way we can be successful is if everyone gives all the effort they have,” He said.

Looking forward to this important tournament, the 31 fencers from St. Mark’s, 64 including fencers from The Hockaday School, are working to develop a complete team capable of competing for a trophy.

“We have a strong corps of fencers this season,” Mahmoud PIERCED Tagging his opponent, freshman Jake Horigome-Pigg

by Matthew Placide

SMASH Jumping high in the air, junior Parker Dixon prepares for a spike.

Volleyball eyes SPC title repeat

by Matthew Placide

S

tarting its season with a win at St. John’s tournament, the varsity volleyball team members finished second place at a Casady tournament August 22-23. Head coach Darren Teicher is confident this winning trend will continue but has other goals for the team.

“Although we are currently winning, we are still not playing efficiently,” Teicher said. “My goal is to see these kids play a clean match before we get to the SPC tournament.”

Junior Parker Dixon, who was All– SPC last year, has high expectations as well.

“I think anything less than a SPC championship would not be considered a success,” Dixon said. “We have a lot of experience on this team, so I believe this will make us serious contenders for a SPC championship.”

Senior captains Blake Spangler, Wesley Cha and Tim Simenc as well as experienced players like Dixon will play a key role in this championship.

“Me being a junior presents more of a leadership role in itself,” Dixon said. “Also, last year I was a second outside hitter, but his year I’m the first.

I have to take more of a leadership role

on the team.”

Teicher believes the play on the court will speak for itself.

“Calm and focus,” Teicher said.

“It is easy to say you are a leader, but to focus and bring that focus to every practice and every game is what makes champions.”

With certain strengths and weaknesses, Teicher hopes consistency will become a focus point before playing against the likes of Casady, Greenhill and St. John’s.

“Our power and experience are our strengths this year,” Teicher said.

“But our weakness is our inconsistency. Right now we make a lot of errors in matches and we make up for it with our offense, but that will only work for so long.”

Although certain aspects of the team have to be improved, coach Teicher is confident they will perform at a high level.

“A successful season is always measured by the improvements that the team makes throughout,” Teicher said. “If we improve our consistency and refrain from relying on our offense, there should be no questions as to who is the strongest team at the end of the year.”

ADAM MERCHANT PHOTO

ADAM MERCHANT PHOTO

T

takes part in a fencing practice in Spencer Gym.

Cross country faces challenge in numbers

by James Hancock

W

ith an abnormally small squad, the cross country team faces an unfamiliar situation. With only 14 runners, the smallest number in ten years, the team has adapted to their situation and placed 10th and 13th at the Marcus I Invitational and the Southlake Invitational, showing at the 6A races that what they lack in quantity they make up for in quality.

“The smaller team really has not been a disadvantage in the slightest,” captain Nick Buckenham said. “I think it’s allowed us to bond more as fellow athletes and has helped increase the level of commitment.”

However, because the team lacks depth, an injury could potentially cause substantial problems for the team since, in a meet, only the top five scorers from each team decide the overall placement for their entire team. Consequently, if a top scorer

such as JT Graass, Chris Carter, Daniel Cope, Nick Buckenham or Shourya Kumar were to injure themselves for a meet, the team would suffer a substantial score deficit. The team is really focusing on staying healthy so they can place well . For that reason, the runners throughout this season are taking precautions and trying not to overstrain and injure themselves during practices and meets.

“The key to this championship will be staying healthy,” coach John Turek said. “However, running is like any other sport because if you are pushing your body to the limit every day, you are prone to injury.”

Looking towards the future, if the team is able to maintain their health, they have the exceptional talent within their top scorers to potentially win SPC. Nevertheless, for the runners, the championship is only one of their goals they hope to meet this season.

Staying healthy is one of the most im-

portant priority for the team right now.

“Obviously it would be awesome to be part of an SPC championship-winning team,” Buckenham said. “But really, cross country is more than that. I’d like to develop more as a runner, achieve some personal fitness goals and help the younger runners get excited about competing and running in general. I want to help strengthen and continue the culture and work ethic of the team, and I hope to improve myself as a leader.”

THE PACK Leading the cross country team’s runners, freshman Daniel Cope and senior Nick Buckenham sprint during an afternoon practice run.

S THE REMARKER SPORTS SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 26

Burning out?

With rigorous athletic and academic schedules, dedicated athletes struggle to find balance between sports and other aspects of their lives

ON THE COURT Eying the ball, eight year old Drew Taylor (inset) follows through his serve. Six years later (above), he rallies during a draining six hour summer training session.

GOING FOR GOAL Playing for the Dallas Texans club soccer team, sophomore Josh Bandopadhay, a veteran of six years in club soccer, maneuvers around his defender.

H

e’s hooked.

Serving the ball, slamming a volley, rallying with his opponent.

As a little first grader, current junior Drew Taylor instantly falls in love with tennis.

Each day he can’t wait to hit the court and see what new things he can learn or how much he can improve. He never envisions himself without his blue Dunlop Biomimetic racquet firmly grasped in his right hand.

The summer before his eighth grade year, the intensity and volume of Taylor’s practices have significantly increased since his days as a toddler. Every morning he wakes up to his phone at 5 a.m., throws on his clothes, eats a granola bar and heads out to the court with his sister Sarah to practice.

At noon, Taylor’s still on the court, counting down the interminable minutes until the end of practice.

In the fall, he practices ten hours during the week, then another eight on the weekend.

Slowly, the game becomes drudgery, and the game no longer seems fun. The following school year, Taylor grapples with the truth that he no longer wants to play. He still can’t bring himself to stop playing; tennis is part of who he was.

“And that’s when I broke my arm. That’s what set it off,” he said.

After eight dedicated years of tennis, Taylor made the decision to stop playing the sport that had once been an integral part of his life and identity. The broken arm he suffered after falling during practice was the final straw.

And though he was ready to quit, the final decision still wasn’t easy. He knew tennis was import-

ant to him, yet he wanted to quit so badly. Taylor vividly remembers the conversation he had with his parents after he broke his arm, finally ready to stop playing.

“I broke into tears,” he said. “I just didn’t want to say ‘this is it,’ I always kept telling myself, “I love this sport, I can’t stop now.” But deep down inside I knew I didn’t want to keep playing, it just got so dull.”

The problem for Taylor wasn’t tennis. However, the sheer amount he was practicing eventually took its toll on him. The sport began to consume his life, and he couldn’t find the joy that had once always been there.

“I think it was mainly the volume,” he said. “It was through the volume that the sport got sickening.”

The early morning practices and 18 hour weeks of tennis are things of the past, and Taylor has one important piece of advice for all devoted athletes.

“As much as dedicated athletes don’t want to stop, if you need to take a break, it doesn’t have to be for long,” Taylor said.

“Just go for it.”

Sophomore Josh Bandopadhay is, likewise, one of those dedicated athletes.

Quite simply, soccer is his life.

When he was four years old, Josh tried out soccer for the first time.

“It was the only sport that really clicked with me,” he said.

Now, summer, fall, winter or spring, Josh is always on the pitch.

And like Taylor, at times it is a bit overwhelming.

“I can totally relate with Drew.

There are times when I just feel

like soccer’s taking up too much time in my life and I may just be better off without it,” Bandophady said. “My outside life—socially, extracurricular—whatever you want to say, is sort of restricted because of soccer.”

But for Josh, the only sport he has ever loved is worth the grind and hectic schedule.

“At the same time, I can’t imagine life without it because I love the game so much,” he said.

A forward for the Dallas Texans youth soccer club, Josh has a contract with the club that prohibits him from playing for any other club team at all and St. Mark’s after this year.

During the summer Josh practices two hours a day, four days a week, with additional training on his off days.

“It’s a lot more frustrating during the school year,” he said.

“There are four or five practices a week, not including games,” he said. “And then there’s games on the weekend and twice a month I have to go to like Houston, Austin, or San Antonio, and that’s when it really gets annoying, when you have to go five hours for one game.”

One weekend, Josh had three games at a showcase in Indianapolis, forcing him to leave during the middle of school on Friday, not coming home until 11 that Sunday night.

“I had a project, I had a paper. I did all of that that night. And then on Monday I was so tired.”

Despite the sleepless night, and sleep-deprived Monday, one thing made it all worth it for Josh.

“The tournament was so fun,” he said. “I didn’t regret it at all.”

STORY ZACH NAIDU | PHOTOS COURTESY JOSH BANDOPADHAY, DREW TAYLOR

THE REMARKER SPORTS SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 PAGE 27 S IRON MAN

THE TRIPLE

THREAT S

MAN OF IRON (Top) Holder bikes on the track during

his daily workout. (Middle) Holder makes waves while training at the Ralph B. Rogers Nadatorium. (Bottom) Holder finishes another lap as a part of his running routine.

enior Jake Holder places the rusted, heavy metal bar on his bruised shoulder. Prior to blacking out after completing countless numbers of squats, Holder gets back up and is told he needs to stop. He reminded himself: Pain is temporary, it will subside.

He finishes the squats, and has just finished his daily workout. Ten miles of running. Two thousand meters of swimming. Thirty miles of biking.

And it’s still not enough for Holder.

“There’s never a plan, my friends and I go to the YMCA and grind everyday,” Holder said. “We push ourselves to the limit and then go for another, extra 40 minutes.”

In addition to his vigorous workouts during the summer and school year, Holder trains for triathlons by completing half ironmen workouts.

After the end of the winter season, Holder was ready to pack on some muscle, and the workouts were exactly what Holder needed.

“I wanted to choose something I knew that would be really hard,” Holder said. “I needed a new challenge. I’ve never been good at endurance sports, and I just wanted to something no other high school kid would do especially at St. Mark’s.”

Over the summer, Holder participated in wrestling camps at Navy and West Point looking for a way to gain a mental and physical edge over his competition.

Despite his busy schedule, Holder found a way to train for his upcoming triathlons.

When Holder got back in Dallas, he trained for three hours every day

With countless hours of biking, swimming and running, Jake Holder pushes himself mentally to gain a competitive edge. Through ironmen workouts and training for triathlons, his fitness has achieved astounding levels.

and competed in multiple triathlons.

For Holder, mental toughness is paramount to overcome physical pain.

“I went from running four miles to 22 in one day, and that was a huge mental challenge. My friends and I center all our workouts around mental growth,” Holder said. “That was the main thing we worked on.”

To prepare for the triathlons, Holder completely broke down his diet and built it back up. No processed food. No carbonated drinks.

Holder knew an abundance of protein, vitamins, and carbs was the only way to perform at his best.

For Holder and his friends, the benefits are favorable.

“Basically we were crazy lunatics. But we taught ourselves to sleep

‘BASICALLY WE WERE CRAZY LUNATICS. BUT WE TAUGHT OURSELVES TO SLEEP FASTER AND WORK HARDER.’ SENIOR JAKE HOLDER faster and work harder. We started seeing, experiencing, and having stuff others didn’t. I ended up bringing them in to the idea of training and I am glad I did.” Holder said.

One of Holder’s friends, Luke Hudspeth, is astonished by the mental strength required and Holder’s strength.

“I’ve seen Jake do some amazing things while working out,” Hudspeth said. “It’s really hard to do those workouts and it takes a lot of mental strength.”

Physical and mental development was not the only plus for Jake.

His training has affected his life at the school.

“My whole life has really changed because of this,” Holder said. “I am better with my time management and take things more seriously. I have a more positive attitude towards work and really enjoy it. I don’t mind a bunch of homework at all anymore.”

For the senior, motivation is never a problem. By planning to apply to West Point and Navy in the upcoming school year, Holder knows =a resilient fitness is required.

And now, he doesn’t think twice about exerting himself.

It’s in his nature.

“I just kind of do it,” Holder said.

“I wasn’t even nervous during my first triathlon because I just enjoy the grind. Whenever we ask if we can do something difficult, we just tell each other that we are the ones to never give up.”

After countless tire flips, sledgehammers and rope work, Holder counts on these benefits to help him out in the long run.

It isn’t about showing off or just attending workouts to talk to his friends. The 70 miles that Holder endures every triathlon is for the future only.

“When I’m training, I think about where I want to be in 10 years. I think about my long-term goals and how every aspect of my life is a way of achieving it. I know I need to sacrifice who I am now in order to achieve what I’m going to become,” Holder said.

STORY RISH BASU | ADDITIONAL REPORTING JAMES HANCOCK | PHOTOS MASON SMITH

Senior Simenc competes in FINA Youth World Championships

by Case Lowry Tim Simenc exhales. He lazily reclines in the coffee shop’s chair, sipping the aromatic drink that would normally be the only thing keeping him awake this early. But Simenc’s been up for hours, and he’ll be up for quite a few more.

Few citizens of the small Sicilian town are up alongside Simenc, but five Americans are. Clustered around an iron table, they just talk. Talk about friends, talk about family, talk about life.

Their mental and physical calmness is needed for more than just their relaxation, because in a few short hours, Simenc and his friends will represent the United States in an international water polo match against Australia.

Simenc’s journey with the Youth Men’s National Team began when he received an invitation to an exclusive training camp on March seventh through the eleventh called the Olympic Development Program to prepare players for the team’s official tryouts on May 26.

“We trained once together for a week in June,” Simenc said. “Then we came back together two weeks before the championship in July, which forced us to mesh quickly as a team, even though this was the longest a team has ever been together.”

The team got together in Pomona, CA for the two first weeks of July before traveling to Riverside, CA for their fist look at live action as a team at the Union Americana de Natacion, or UANA, Junior Pan Am Championships. The team garnered a gold medal

with a close 10-9 victory over Brazil, whose team beat the USA team at the same tournament last year.

The team then traveled to Acireale, Sicily and stayed there for four days to play in the Six Nations Tournament.

“A few of us decided to wake up early and explore the town,” Simenc said. “I remember walking the cobblestone streets and feeling like I was in the Godfather. We passed a couple of the churches that were just spectacular with large angel statues on them. It looked like something out of a book.”

The team then traveled to Istanbul for the Istanbul Cup starting June 23 and shortly afterwards, the Federacíon Internationale de Natacion, or FINA, Youth World Championships ending July 9. There was a six day break between tournaments.

The final game against Australia in the FINA semifinals was particularly sour as Australia won the game with a goal in the last five seconds, forcing the US to finish eleventh in the tournament with a shootout victory over Japan.

“It was heartbreaking,” Simenc said. “Our coach came into the tournament with the goal of top eight.

One guy came up to us and asked what place we got and we said ‘Oh, eleventh,’ and he looked at us funny, with an expression that said ‘you should have been higher.’”

The 2016 Summer Olympics are now are the goal for the National Team players, and a definite possibility for Simenc.

“We’ll see,” Simenc said. “We’ll see.”

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SADDLE THE SAINTS

ALDEN JAMES PHOTO

Stomping their feet, the Senior Class pumps up for its class cheer during a pep rally Sept. 19, which included a performance from the cheerleaders, captain announcements and a race between students, faculty and cheerleaders on plush horses. The football team played All Saints Episcopal School that night, losing 30-13 in Hunt Stadium.

St. Mark’s School of Texas 10600 Preston Road Dallas, Texas, 75230

For the first time in Lion history, Student Council has elected two superfans. Sports editor Philip Smart sits down with senior Superfans Jack Fojtasek (left) and Justin Jones (right):

Why were you guys chosen?

What’s the best part of being Superfan?

Jack: I would say the two of us have the most school spirit in our grade, not only for the sports we play, but every sport here.

Justin: I really feel you on that one bro.

Jack: We genuinely care about our sports and the kids in our grade and the whole high school.

Justin: We just care about the guys around us and their futures.

Jack: Getting up and getting a whole student body behind you to cheer on your entire sports community is pretty awesome.

Justin: Being the guys that everyone looks toward to get pumped up.

It’s an honor.

How do you feel about fencing?

How do you come up with jokes?

Jack: I don’t know a lot about fencing, but I do care about fencing.

Justin: When were the Olympics? Last summer?

Jack: Nope.

Justin: Well, I was watching some fencing, and that’s when me and fencing became one.

Jack: I give T-Gud a hard time usually.

That’s a joke that always works. Every week I have a T-Gud joke.

Justin: What works for me, Fojtasek? *silence* Jack: I think your delivery on the spot is better.

Justin: It’s the improv. I have this gift to feel where the crowd is at, and I take it with me.

How long have you guys known each other ?

How has the crowd performed so far?

Jack: Justin and I have been friends since we were about 9 years old.

Justin: Between the ages of 6 and 8, we were arch enemies.

Jack: Until fourth grade when I beat you up, then we became friends. Let’s put that down in the record book. I did win.

Justin: People want to believe what they want to believe, but I have witnesses.

Jack: Ask Mrs. Glorioso who won.

Justin: Let’s just be honest. That fight brought us closer together.

Jack: It did. But we’ve always been around together.

Justin: Sometimes it makes me want to cry knowing I’ve got people like him. But honestly, I’m pretty sure we know each other pretty well.

Jack: I’d say week one was pitiful.

Atrocious is the perfect word.

It was disorganized.

Justin: I think I shed a tear that week.

Jack: I did. Week two, we did a lot better at ESD. We switched sides on the track, and it was a clutch move. But we still have freshmen talking to their girls and not cheering on the boys. I mean, it’s Lions before Lionesses.

Justin: It’s a Lion’s den. There are no daisies allowed in the Lion’s den. Because then the Lions become soft. We can’t have soft kings of the jungle.

Jack: Simba was pretty soft. But yeah, week two was better.

How do you compare yourselves to past Superfans?

How do you two work together when one of you is on the field?

Justin: Me and Fojtasek are bringing the duo.

Jack: When I think of past Superfan men, I think of the late, great Thomas Tassin ‘12 who actually originated the position. He brought quick wit, and he brought what some would call “Cali bro swag.”

Justin: We definitely bring quick wit.

Jack: Right. I think we’ve got it all. The duo of Superfan men is going to change the game.

Justin: Our kids will remember this time.

Justin: I get the team in it. Then you see me on the field, and I give the fans a little nod.

That’s my key to Jack to start getting rowdy.

Jack: When I see the hand motion, I give the motion. Then we rally the troops.

Is it hard being the Superfans?

Jack: It is demanding, dressing in suits and writing jokes every Thursday night.

Justin: I have come up with some jokes.

Jack: They were terrible.

Justin: Yeah. You know, I improv it.

SUPERFANMEN LET’S MEET THE

‘Our kids will remember this time.’

STORY PHILIP SMART, ZUYVA SEVILLA | PHOTO ADAM MERCHANT