The ReMarker | September 2017

The ReMarker newspaper • St. Mark’s School of Texas • Dallas, Texas • Volume 64 Issue 1 • September 22, 2017

Genecovs gift school with new endowed chair

REMARKER

by Duncan Kirstein new master teaching chair, given by Dr. David Genecov ’82 and his wife Lisa, was announced at a special faculty meeting Sept. 14 by Headmaster David Dini.

The chair, the Sally and Edward Genecov Master Teaching Chair, is named for Genecov’s parents.

“I am who I am today because of my parents and the importance they placed on education in allowing me to come to St. Mark’s,” Genecov said.

“Master teaching chairs are an investment in the most important part of the school. They are what makes St. Mark’s different from any other school.”

The Sally and Edward Genecov Master Teaching Chair becomes the school’s 19th fully endowed position here.

“We’re here to celebrate an investment that the Genecov family has made in the school,” Dini said. “This gift is the result of their desire to contribute to the quality of teaching that occurs on our campus every day.”

Math instructor Amy Pool, who also co-advises the Junior Class, will be the first holder of the chair, Dini announced. Pool, who began her career here in 2011, teaches David, Sally and Lisa Genecov pre-calculus, AP calculus AB and independent study in advanced math and serves as Upper School Math Team co-sponsor.

“There are so many exceptional teachers at St. Mark’s who are master teachers in their own right,” Pool said. “It’s gratifying to have that recognized in a public way. We all know we make a difference in everyday life but it’s nice to have that more formal recognition.”

The Genecov family has a more than 40-year history with the school. David Genecov serves as the chair of the Education Committee, and he has served on the Board of Trustees since 2011. His brother, nephews and three sons all graduated from here.

The Master Teaching Program goes back to 1977, when the Cecil H. and Ida Green Master Teaching Chair was established.

Prior to the Genecov gift, the two most recent Master Teaching Chair appointments were science and engineering instructor Doug Rummel, who holds the Founders Master Teaching Chair and history instructor John Perryman, who holds the Adams Master Teaching Chair. These appointments were made in 2016.

A

TRIAL BY

FIRE Domestic terrorism. Nazi echoes. The glow of torches illuminating the crowded streets of Charlottesville, Virginia. These symbols have sparked the question: what See story, page 7 has Charlottesville ignited?

• Story Kobe Roseman, Zach Gilstrap, Blake Daugherty Photo illustration Riley Sanders

23 minutes with...

‘

Before I came to Texas, I thought there would be cowboy hats, boots and big belts, but I haven’t seen a guy like that yet, probably because we’re in Dallas.

Dominik Fronc Page 15

News in brief

For the record

Leadership ISD underway After joining in partnership with Leadership ISD and Unitedtolearn, a group of 12 sophomores and juniors will begin attending monthly leadership meetings Sept. 23.

Students who were selected for the fellowship will work with other Dallas schools’ students learning leadership skills and participating in seminars on topics ranging from poverty to Dallas educational history.

News in brief

Self-study begins

2 0

Wins

Losses

VARSITY FOOTBALL

The school is set to evaluate itself over the coming year during its self-study — a process necessary to remain in the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS).

Through the study, ISAS ensures its member schools have high standards.

During the year, the accreditation requires each academic department and other groups on campus to reflect on their goals and needed improvements.

Inside News The manual Life Perspectives Buzz Commentary Sports Back page

2 10 11 16 21 22 25 32

Page 2

Dooderbunger: thank you, Mr. V. A big thanks to the teacher who taught me my favorite word.

C

ollege essay writing needs its own class. But it’s pretty likely that I wouldn’t pass it.

I have been saving essay drafts one by one for clarity, and my common app essay is currently on draft 32. After two weeks.

If you ever hear someone say, “Oh, just write a personal statement,” do not let them end their advice there. Because it is very difficult to “just write a personal statement.”

Trust me.

So when I began some supplemental prompts this week, I immediately resorted to the unendingly frustrating brainstorming process.

One prompt: “What is your favorite word, and why?”

A Buzzfeed article guided me through beautiful words like effervescent (bubbly or enthusiastic), mellifluous (a sweet, smooth Reece sound) and Rabin serendipity Senior writer (chance occurrence of events beneficially). I even pondered uncomfortable words like moist (no definition needed) for the sake of humorous irony.

But after 10 minutes of fruitless thought, I stumbled upon one word in particular, and I immediately knew my essay had its topic.

‘Dooderbunger’ is a word truly without definition. In fact, even the limitless Google suggested I “Make sure all words are spelled correctly” upon a search. The first time I heard dooderbunger, I too was skeptical.

It was in my sophomore chemistry class taught by Jon Valasek, or more affectionately ‘Mr. V.’ Some friends and I were talking on the second day of school, and Mr. V suddenly stopped, looked over, and with the class raptly attentive, asked: “What are you dooderbungers talking about?”

To this day I can only say the word is usable in many different situations. Multiple people, see above, can be dooderbungers. After I messed up algebra on a stoichiometry problem, I was introduced to the act of dooderbungering math steps.

A thing, such as a graduated cylinder that I broke twice in a lab, can be a dooderbunger. In the most extreme cases of being “corn-fused,” one can extend past intelligible English and be “gadookerbungered,” likewise blanking Google.

To those uninitiated in Mr. V’s class, dooderbunger represents nothing more than a glob of letters. But that word entails some of my greatest St. Mark’s memories. Mr. V remains one of my closest faculty friends, and he has come watch me pitch on the baseball diamond and be far outmatched in basketball games. While some students mocked Mr. V for his unique diction, our shared love for baseball, chemistry and the use of the word dooderbunger created a strong “bond” (pun intended).

After I wrote the dooderbunger essay and resumed work on my other ones, ideas suddenly started to flow far easier.

And I know exactly what it was that made the apps click. After I realized how much better my writing was when I just let my ideas flow, I stopped worrying about formality, relaxed at the keyboard and let my AP English training kick in subconsciously.

I still could use a college app class – perhaps taught by Mr. V. Because in the end we are all just dooderbungers doing the best we can.

Cover photo

Genecov cover photo courtesy of Development Office.

NEWS

WORDS OF WISDOM

Board of Trustees President Jon Mosle ’79 speaks to the student body, faculty and staff at the first all-school convocation Aug. 22. Other speakers included Senior Class President Edward Ro, Student Council President Canyon Kyle, Headmaster David Dini and Emmanuel Acho ’08.

The event kicked off the first day of classes for the 2017-2018 school year.

Riley Sanders photo

News in brief PRESTON ROYAL UPGRADES SHOPPING CENTER Two new businesses, Interabang Books and Steel City Pops, moved into the Preston Royal Village shopping center this summer with more businesses, including Shake Shack, Sur La Table and Eatzi’s Market and Bakery, moving in on the completion of the construction.

Shake Shack and Sur La Table plan to open sometime during this fall, while Eatzi’s Market and Bakery is scheduled to open in October.

NEW TEXTING AND DRIVING LAW IMPLEMENTED IN TEXAS Texas’ No Texting While Driving law was implemented Sept. 1. The law includes additional provisions

that increase fines per violation.

Any driver who is texting and causes injury or death can be jailed for up to one year.

Officially criminalizing texting aims to reduce the number of accidents on campus and elsewhere in the state.

NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS ANNOUNCED Thirteen seniors were announced as National Merit Scholar Semifinalists. They were recognized for their high scores on the PSAT/NMSQT exam.

Students honored include Abdullah Akbar, Davis Bailey, Owen Berger, Daniel Byeon, Kevin Feng, Alan Jiang, Jack Parolisi, Toussaint Pegues, Ethan Pittson, Reece Rabin, Edward Ro, Niteesh Vemuri and Harris Wilson.

They represent an elite group of scholars that make up less than

one percent of about 1.6 million students.

CLOTHING DRIVE HELPS HURRICANE HARVEY RELIEF The annual Clothing Drive began Sept. 11 and ended today.

The proceeds will benefit those displaced or homeless because of Hurricane Harvey in Houston and other coastal cities on the Gulf of Mexico.

NEW BATTERY RECYCLING BINS AVAILABLE ON CAMPUS The battery waste can, formerly located in the faculty lounge, has been moved to the mail room this year.

Environmental science instructor Dan Northcut ’81 created the battery waste can along with the Electronic Waste Collection Drive (E-Drive) about 17 years ago to find the right place for used

electronics that don’t belong in the trash can or the recycling bin.

This year’s fall E-Drive will be held Sept. 26.

FIVE SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR SENIORS Seniors have been presented five scholarship opportunities for the 2017-2018 college application cycle. The five categories are the Morehead-Cain at UNC-Chapel Hill, the Robertson at Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill, the Jefferson at UVA, the Danforth at Washington University in St. Louis and the Byran at Davidson College.

The College Counseling office is now in the process of deciding who will be nominated for each award.

MIDDLE SCHOOL CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP TO BEGIN This year will see the introduc-

tion of character and leadership cycles (CNL) to the Middle School in an effort to promote these ideas and concepts.

Middle school students will not have to wait long for these new cycles to be implemented as they have already finished their first one. They discussed “community” and did so by creating community webs.

QUIZ BOWL PREPARES FOR FIRST TOURNAMENT The Quiz Bowl team will have its first tournament of the year tomorrow at the Greenhill School.

The “A” team, which has won the tournament for the past three years.

Other schools participating in the tournament include Greenville, Parish, Jesuit, The School for the Talented and Gifted, Strake Jesuit, Plano West and Cistercian.

­­­­­­— Lyle Ochs, Reece Rabin, Michael Lukowicz, Zoheb Khan, Kamal Mamdani, Mateo Guevara

Say what?

Inside

4

New faces on campus

Meet this year’s new faculty and staff, and hear about changes among division heads.

Comments made by students, faculty and staff around campus

‘

Sometimes I think unicorns were once real, but none of them got onto Noah’s Ark.

­— Junior CJ Crawford

5

‘

Science upgrade

An update on the progress of the construction of the new building on campus.

Around the corner On campus Senior Auction · Where: Decherd Performance Hall · When: Sept. 24, 4 p.m. · What: A senior fundraiser for the Senior Class Fund Coffeehouse · Where: Decherd Performance Hall · When: Oct. 7, 7 p.m. · What: A student led performance

I go to CVS just for the soundtrack they play.

­ Adams Master Teaching — Chair John Perryman

8

Ethos program

The leadership and ethics team has created a new program for student leadership.

9

Last Japanese student

A look into what will happen when the last student taking Japanese graduates.

‘

I feel like such an adult. I have three meetings after school.

­ Junior Landon Wood — on his childhood going away

‘

I’ve decided I like rap music that just sounds awful.

­ Senior Mateo Diaz on his — musical tastes

AVERY PEARSON PERFORMING

Off campus

State Fair of Texas · Where: Fair Park · When: Sept. 29 - Oct. 22 · What: A celebration of all things Texas Six Flags over Texas Fright Fest · Where: Arlington · When: Sept. 23 - Oct. 29 · What: Halloween-themed rides

106

News • September 22, 2017 • The ReMarker • Page 3

It’s the largest Upper School class in school history.

Headmaster David Dini explains how the school is adapting to a record 106-member Freshman Class.

O

NE HUNDRED AND SIX YOUNG MEN. THE MOST MARKSMEN TO EVER HIKE THROUGH THE PECOS WILDERNESS. THE MOST MARKSMEN TO SIT IN THE BACK LEFT CORNER OF THE CHAPEL. THE MOST MARKSMEN TO EAT DINNER WITH THEIR DATES BEFORE HOMECOMING. THE MOST MARKSMEN IN A SINGLE GRADE, EVER. FOURTEEN NEW FACES. AN ENTIRE ENGLISH CLASS, A FULL BASEBALL TEAM AND A HALF A TABLE IN THE GREAT HALL. ONE HUNDRED AND SIX YOUNG MEN. With the start of the year, 10600 Preston Road will now hold more freshmen than it ever has before. The addition of 14 new boys made the class total 106, seven more than the previous highest number. Over the past school year, the administration, led by Headmaster David Dini, reviewed the school’s application process and decided to make changes in the ninth grade.

“Over time, ninth grade has been an area where we’ve seen steady, continued growth in enrollment demand,” Dini said. “Each year we’ve seen some really good candidates come that we simply didn’t have the room for.”

Dini says a similar circumstance happened a number of years ago when the school made a shift in the fifth and sixth grades.

“We used to admit about an equal number of boys in fifth and sixth grade,” Dini said. “One of the things we discovered is that we’d have a significant amount of applications for fifth grade and a limited number of openings.

There would be a lot of boys that were qualified that we thought were able, but there would be more qualified boys than we had openings.”

The application number in the sixth grade would significantly drop, and the quality applicants that were almost accepted in fifth grade would not want to switch schools in the middle of Middle School, according to Dini.

“We felt like we were losing a lot of good talented boys,” Dini said. “We made a decision after a lot of evaluation to significantly reduce the number of openings in 6th grade, and we doubled the openings in fifth grade.”

This change was made to increase the demand for the school in fifth grade, and this change succeeded said Dini.

Similar to the fifth grade problem, the quality of the

Number of freshman by class

95

92

99

93

106

CROWDED Some of the 106 members of the Freshman Class make some noise at the first pep rally of the year Sept. 15. The grade’s 106 students is the largest Upper School class in school history.

applicants were high and the number of spots low. Dini believes that the school was losing many potential Marksmen, and this reasoning led to the increase in the size of the ninth grade.

Along with the quality of the applicants, many factors went into the decision to add more boys to the Freshman Class, says Dini.

“You have to look at things like: do you have the staffing for it, do you have the space for it, what would it do to section sizes,” Dini said. “We studied all that very carefully before we made the decision on how many boys we were going to admit in the ninth grade.”

Including the record high number of appli-

cants for the school overall, the number of students that accepted admission from the school was 94 percent.

“It’s undoubtedly an affirmation of the strength of the school,” Dini said. “That yield rate is extraordinarily high. I think it speaks to the quality of the faculty and the quality of the program and quality of the experience that we offer.”

Director of Admission David Baker says that the quality of the faculty is a driving factor in the high yield rate.

“We have a number that is that high because of J.T. Sutcliffe’s math class that people visited while they were here or because of Ken Owens’s chemistry demonstration at open house or because of Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Friesen’s presentation on the athletic program,” Baker said.

According to Dini, even though there were more young men admitted into the grade, the overall average classroom size for the ninth grade is lower than other grades.

“Looking at the ninth grade class in particular, the good thing is that given the way we organize the staffing, the section sizes in ninth grade are very, very good,” Dini said. “If you look across all the subject areas in ninth grade the section sizes are actually pretty low. The average section size in many disciplines are lower than other grades.”

The administration heavily emphasized finding a way to keep class sizes down and keep the integrity of the school.

“We haven’t compromised strength of program or quality of experience at all,” Dini said. “I would argue that there’s opportunity for us to make it better. We have more voices, more talents, more abilities, more contributions in those additional boys over the whole environment of the upper school. I would say it’s not taking anything away and has great potential to add to the overall experience for any Marksman.”

Along with the class size decreasing in the ninth grade, the school maintained the eight-to-one student to faculty ratio.

“If we say that the student teacher ratio is eight to one, then it is,” Baker said. “We’re not going to let more kids into the school that it would affect that ratio. If we say the average class size is 15, then it is.”

Despite letting in all these new students, the school is content with its enrollment today, and does not see a spike in the number of students in the near future.

“I think we’re generally at an enrollment we feel really good about as a school,” Dini said. “There’s no design on growing the school. We just went through a multiyear strategic plan. There’s nothing in Goals for St. Mark’s IV for growing the enrollment for the school”

Admission statistics

94 97+ 106 Yield Rate

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

• Story Kamal Mamdani, Lyle Ochs Photo Riley Sanders

Percentage of accepted invitations for admission

Retention Rate

Percentage of students who elect to return to St. Mark’s each year

Freshmen Total students in lass of 2021

Page 4 • The ReMarker • September 22, 2017 • News New faculty, staff, divisional leadership

From Wall Street to Preston Road New Upper School Assistant Head Chris Disimile brings a varied background — along with professional experience on both coasts — to 10600 Preston Road.

Wall Street — After 13 years

DIVISIONAL LEADERS All three school divisions saw changes in administrative leadership in the past two years: Patrick Andrén, Upper School head; Sherri Darver, Lower School head; Chris Disimile, Upper School assistant head; Dean Clayman, interim Middle School head and Jason Lange, interim Middle School assistant head.

A NEW ERA

W

hen former Head of Middle School Warren Foxworth retired in May, he left the school with a message: Change is the way schools are. People are telling me that things are not going to be the same without me here, but I tell them that it will be better. We need new blood, new ideas, new thoughts. We can’t just stay the same all the time.

Today, there is no head or assistant head of Lower, Middle or Upper School who has been in the position for more than two years.

This “new wave” of administrators is comprised of both veteran faculty members filling different positions and new, outside faces beginning their stint at 10600 Preston Road.

Newest to the school is Assistant Upper School Head Chris Disimile, who credits his smooth transition to well-established tradition and the experience of other administrators.

“Because the school has been around so long and because it has so much tradition, it’s easier to step in as a new person and understand how it goes,” Disimile said. “This goes back to one of the reasons I came. I have a sense that the folks here and the school in general know what they’re doing. It’s easy, in that sense, to be a new person in a place like this. You’re shown the ropes because the ropes are pretty established.”

Divisional administrators prove varied experiences, backgrounds are essential to smooth leadership.

Because the heads of school are relatively new to their positions, they are able to gain insight from their predecessors. Although Upper School Head Patrick Andrén has been at the school for just over a year, he is advising Disimile.

“Much like the advice I was given last year,” said Andrén, “I’m trying to give him [Disimile] the same advice, to get to know as many people as you can here. Everything else, in a sense, will find you.”

Interim Middle School Head Dean Clayman is excited to have a brand new member of the administration with fresh, new ideas join the school community.

“I think Mr. Disimile is a great asset to the school,” Clayman said. “He may be new to St. Mark’s and new to his position, but he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in both content and working with boys, so he is a real valued new member to our group.”

Experiencing his first year as an admin-

istrator, Interim Assistant Middle School Head Jason Lange believes his new position will give him the opportunity to see a different perspective of the school and engage more directly with the boys.

“I’ve only been doing this for a month now,” said Lange, “and it’s more fun than I ever imagined it would be. It’s challenging me to grow in new ways as an educator. It still allows me to do what

I do best, that is to teach in the classroom, but I get to learn from the best: Mr. [Dean] Clayman and Ms. [Ann] Dilday and see a different side of the school that I often took for granted before.”

After serving as interim head of Lower School the past year, Sherri Darver officially accepted the position as Head of Lower School and eagerly entered her new position in August. Darver — a 12-year faculty veteran — praises the open communication between division heads, hoping to continue building a seamless bond between Lower, Middle and Upper School.

“What I really think is so important is how well Mr. Andrén, Mr. Disimile, Mr. Lange, Mr. Clayman and I get along so well.” Darver said. “We have a really good bond forming already.”

It was the people, the traditions and the history that brought Disimile here, and that will drive this new wave of heads to carry the school on their shoulders, first-graders to seniors.

“One of the things that certainly drew me to the school was that it had a long history and long tradition of excellence,” Disimile said. “I loved also that it wasn’t just a high school because you get the chance to raise the boy from first grade on. That to me is really exciting and interesting. The [path to manhood] statue out over my shoulder depicts that perfectly. To me, that was a big draw.”

• Stories Andre Arsenault, Zoheb Khan, Kamal Mamdani, James Rogers, Wallace White Photos Riley Sanders, Kevin Feng

Sage team, new faculty, staff members join campus

Lorre Allen

Director of Human Resources

“Being able to work with the best and brightest group of people.”

Marshall Garrett Executive chef “We will introduce more seasoning, pop-up bars and additional stations.”

Reyno Arredondo ’87

Wrestling coach

“I want to rekindle the wrestling program and make it as great as it used to be.”

Jason Leneau

Assistant football coach

Ed Bogard

Food services director

“It starts from the time we step in that kitchen ‘till we walk out in the afternoon.”

Bryan Boucher

Chia-Jung Chiang

“I’m excited to be a part of such a strong communtity with such great traditions.”

“It’s an excellent school, “We would like to have more options and I can’t wait to teach for people.” here.”

US history instructor

Cindee McMahon Shannon Nadalini MS humanities instructor

“I’m looking forward to “The opportunities that creating an atmosphere I look most forward where multi-sport to while working at athletes can thrive.”

SM are being with the people here – students and adults alike.”

LS humanities instructor

“Pursuing my passion for teaching in an environment that strives to young men.”

MS Chinese instructor

Naila Rodriguez Physical plant

“I feel very welcome, and I love what I do.”

Hazuki Cox

Front of house supervisor

Harrison Tassopoulos ’07

Asst. director of SM Fund “I want to support the growth of Marksmen into the next generation of great citizens and leaders.”

Michelle Easter Catering manager

“We will try to serve different types of food from around the globe.”

Trinh Vo

Sous chef

“My job is to execute [the executive chef’s] plan. We would love to hear feedback on what students want.”

working on Wall Street for industry leaders – such as Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers and Barclays – and nine more teaching in the classrooms of New York and California, a “day of service” opened Disimile to the possibility of changing careers.

“When I was at Goldman, we would do something called community teamwork where we would do a day of service, which everybody was required to do. What I did was something called ‘junior achievement,’ where we went to a local school and taught a subject.

I happened to teach with another colleague just starting in business, which was basically econ[omics] for fifth-graders.”

Reevaluation — After contemplation, Disimile decided to to pursue his true calling, parting ways with the power suits and long hours of Wall Street and taking up teaching in a subject fitting to his background — economics.

“It planted the seed for something that I might have been interested in doing someday. That was an opportunity for me to look at my life a little differently, and I made the career change.”

The return — Disimile began his teaching career at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, NY, teaching history and economics for two years. but soon returned to finance, working as an investment representative for Barclays.

Missing the classroom, however, he returned to the realm of secondary education, this time as the Social Studies Department chair at the Sage Hill School in southChris Disimile ern California, where he taught for seven years.

Texas-bound — Despite only being in Texas “a couple of times,” Disimile decided to uproot his family (wife Marisa and two children).

“During the process of interviewing, I taught a class while I was here (at St Mark’s) and really liked the kids.

I was impressed with the place, the community and the people – those are the most important things, but it’s a big deal moving your family and your life from Southern California.”

Settling in — After the initial process of moving to Dallas, Disimile and his family are “settling in nicely and are finally unpacked.”

“It’s been great and we’re happy where we are. Dallas so far has been an easy place to adapt to. It’s kind of a middle ground between NYC and Southern California. We’re enjoying it a lot, and it seems like a great place to live and work and raise a family.”

The appeal — When Disimile discovered the school, the first thing that caught his attention was the people – both students and faculty.

“It was clear from the moment I stepped on campus from the interview, to the hike up Pecos, to orientation and to my first class is that the boys take a lot of pride in this place and so do the faculty members. It’s a pretty special place with a deep bench of talent and alumni that I’m proud to be a part of.”

News • September 22, 2017 • The ReMarker • Page 5

MOVING OUT AND MOVING IN Winn Science Center update

As Science Department shuffles due to construction, faculty adjusts to portables.

W

ith the foundations set on the new Winn Science Center, which broke ground in May and is expected to finish construction promptly following the start of the 20182019 school year, eyes turn toward the portable classrooms, which were brought in over the summer.

Despite many expectations from the start of the year, the biology instructors and students found the new portable classrooms in the science courtyard to be equal to, if not better than, than the old classrooms. The portable classrooms, which the Science Department will be using until construction of • ‘It’s better the new Winn Science laid out, there’s Center is finished, are more storage, cleaner and have a more everything’s there, and I’ve modern style than the been able to set previous ones. Biology it up how I want, instructor Mark Adame how I need, for the next year and thinks everything has turned out better than a half.’

Biology instructor he anticipated.

Mark Adame “I’m very pleased, considering I’ve heard nightmare stories about being in portable buildings,”Adame said. “All the faucets work, we have a refrigerator in the back, an ice machine in the back. All the stuff we had before is here now, and it’s a better setup.”

Adame works in the two portable classrooms along with biology instructors Nupur Israni and Dr. Bonnie Flint.

The teachers originally expected a lack of space for all of their equipment, but now

they agree that the portable classrooms have better storage capacity and are more accessible than the old building.

“It’s better laid out,” Adame said.

“There’s more storage, everything’s there and I’ve been able to set it up how I want, how I need, for the next year and a half.”

Israni also believes once they receive a few more shipments of supplies, the classrooms will be up and running just like before. But although they have more storage space now, the teachers still see a few minor issues with the new portable system.

“The disadvantage, I guess,” Israni said, “is that we’re not connected, so to speak. In our old layout, the two biology classrooms were connected by a prep room. This time, we have two separate portables, each one with its own prep room.”

Not only are the classrooms disconnected, but freshmen also have less space for labs. With no proper lab benches, students have to work around the perimeter of the room, and sometimes there isn’t enough space for two students.

Science Department Head Fletcher Carron comments on the functions lost with the demolition of the older building.

“During construction, we are missing the planetarium,” Carron said, “so seventh grade classes, for example, for which we normally use it heavily, are missing out on that experience. We are trying to replace it as much as possible with software that can be used on iPads or com-

puters. We are also without a greenhouse for biology, and we don’t have a DNA science classroom, so we chose not to offer DNA science for this year. But as far as the classes that are in the portables — which is limited to upper school biology courses — they are not shorthanded at all in terms of facilities, other than access to the greenhouse.”

AP biology student Niteesh Vemuri thinks students are losing more than just an old science building. He believes the school is losing a major piece of its history that has been especially important to him.

But Vemuri also sees new possibilities in the portables.

“With every day that you spend in the portables,” Vemuri said, “you’re just adding more history to it, right? So it really makes up for what we had back there. I mean, really the science building and these portables is just a new chapter for what we had in biology.”

But the teachers still believe the physical advantages greatly outweigh the disadvantages of the portables. Students and faculty can see the progress of the new science building as it is being constructed.

“I would encourage people to go look -- go up and sort of check it out,” Carron said. “Don’t go on the site. There are holes in the fence so that you can look through, but definitely stay off the site. The best place to view is from the second floor of the science building; looking out the windows at the end of the hall; you can see the whole site.”

MOVING IN Biology instructor Mark Adame (above) pushes a cart of equipment up the ramp toward one of the portable classrooms, which were installed over the summer.

FRESH LOOK Empty tables (below) await students in the newly installed portables.

By the numbers

75,000

number of square feet in the Winn Science Center

250

number of seats in new lecture hall

$10 million

amount of money donated by Winn Family Foundation

Source: St. Mark’s School of Texas

• Story Ishan Gupta, Mateo Guevara Photos Lee Schlosser

Science Department faculty leads West Texas trip

by Wallace White his June, four members of the Science Department faculty led a group of ten Upper Schoolers on a five-day expedition to explore the scientific wonders in West Texas.

Students who attended include Jack Parolisi, Ben Clayman, Niteesh Vemuri, Ethan Pittson, Albert Luo, Mujin Kwun, Nicholas Tsao, Theo Katsulos, Mohit Singhal and Zoheb Khan.

The students dove deep into Carlsbad caverns, hike through the Guadalupe mountains and look into space with a 107-inch lens telescope at the McDonald Observatory.

The Science Department lengthened the trip by two days.

They broadened the attractions to more branches of science like geology and the life sciences instead of just astronomy. Green Master Teacher Stephen Balog explains what was added from last year.

“The first time we did it we thought only astronomy club guys would be interested.”

Balog said. “This time we tried to open it up to people interested in some of the other sciences.”

T

Accompanying the students was a researcher who studies planets outside our solar system and used a spectrogram to determine the make-up of the exo-planets. They spent an hour looking through a 107-inch telescope.

“We got to see a galaxy, a planetary nebula and Saturn,” Balog said. “The feedback I’ve gotten has been very positive, even when were out in the middle of summer.”

In the future, the department hopes to include alumni and parents in the summer program.

“St. Mark’s has some wonderful resources in its master teachers to create for our families and alumni and let them see a bigger picture of the world,” Balog said, “This year really sparked our imagination on how we can make this more accessible to more people.”

Balog feels the trip gives both students and faculty alike a widened perspective of the world and how big it can seem.

“I think it gives the [students] a better feeling of just how different the world is,” Balog said. “When we were looking at some of the objects, you get a sense of size and place in the universe.”

Page 6 • The ReMarker • September 22, 2017 • News

MARKSMEN GO DUE SOUTH In their element

Rather than spending their summers in Dallas, juniors Jayan Joshi and Kyle Smith share their talents around the world.

With the goal of improving

his Spanish, Junior Jayan Joshi traveled to Ecuador for two weeks over the summer to teach English, Volunteering through Cacha Medical Spanish Institute (Cachamsi), Joshi stayed with a host family in Cacha, a small town near Riobamba.

While most other volunteers were medical students who taught about their field, Joshi introduced several children to English through an immersive summer camp. The opportunity arose from family connections to Cachamsi and the hosts.

“About nine years ago, my aunt went to Ecuador through the same program,” Joshi said, “and she was a medical student at the time. She had stayed with a host family, which she loved.

They still come to the United States to visit a lot, and they invited me to come over whenever I wanted to so I could work on my Spanish.”

In addition to a newfound sense of independence, Joshi enjoyed meeting and working with new people, surrounding

himself completely with their language and culture.

“I went all by myself,” Joshi said. “I met some of the host family one time for about 20 minutes, but I didn’t know anyone else there.”

Joshi’s most memorable experience comes from recess where he taught the kids something new that was ever-present in his culture.

“We taught them how to play basketball,” Joshi said, “and it was amazing teaching them how to play something they had never played before and seeing how good they got.”

Other than acquiring more teaching and Spanish-speaking skills, Joshi learned from the children and realized their similarities despite the differences in their culture and environment.

“I’ve done volunteer work with refugee children in Dallas and other kids in the Dallas area,” Joshi said. “It’s surprising how similar the kids are even though they live in completely different parts of the world.”

IN THE CLASSROOM Junior Jayan Joshi (above) stands at the head of the classroom, drawing on the whiteboard as Ecuadorian students listen.

‘Free The Children’ undergoes changes

by Sid Vattamreddy lthough Free the Children is changing their name to Me to We, club sponsor Paula Cham assures that it is the same program with the same goal of raising money for children in third-world countries, even if they will not be selling pies this year. “[Former Director of Food Services Sally] Stephens was the one that would go to the vendor and give us the good deal,” Cham said. “We would buy them at cost and then raise the price so that we could get a profit for the children.”

With Stephens retiring this past spring and Sage Dining taking over cafeteria responsibilities, there are no longer pies for the club to sell.

Cham is still sure the students in the club will remain focused and driven in their goal to help people around the world, even with the loss of their biggest fundraiser. “[The students] like the bake sales the best,” Cham says. “We will do as many as we can and they do a really good job and it is a really good service.”

Cham said that Me to We is considering other possibilities to help raise money.

“There’s always things we have never done, like a car wash,” Cham said. “We thought about a talent show, we thought about a basketball game between students and teachers and charging money for it.”

The club is also making a big push to go to the “We Day” celebration that will be held in Garland at the Curtis Culwell Center March 20.

“It encourages students to do more for local and global projects and it’s just a big celebration,” Cham said.

“It always happened in Canada and now they’re trying to get more schools to be part of the Me to We program.”

Seventh grade humanities instructor Meagan Frazier will also be helping students participate in this event.

“She’s now the Middle School Community Service Director and we’re going to try to connect together,” Cham said.

Cham is always proud of the students in the club no matter how much money they raise.

“Any money they raise can do such a good service to the country they choose,” Cham said.

A Junior Kyle Smith traveled to

Latin America twice this past summer, first to Peru with National Geographic and later to Costa Rica to talk to young kids about engineering.

Smith journeyed to Peru to work on a project dedicated to preserving the world’s largest thermal river. A family friend scouted him to build connections with National Geographic.

“He saw that some really influential people were going to be there,” Smith said. “He wanted me to meet these people and possibly build a portfolio around them and get into that circuit.”

Steve Winter, a twotime winner of International Global Vision’s Picture of the Year award was there, and Smith feels he got a lot out of this experience by connecting with Winter.

“Steve’s the most ridiculous person I’ve ever spent time with,” Smith said. “I was realizing that these Nat[ional] Geo[graphic] celebrities I’m working with, they are people.”

Smith hopes to realize his aspiration of freelancing with National Geographic in the future.

“I want to pursue National Geographic as a career,” Smith said. “In the long run,

I’m pursuing a grant with Nat[ional] Geo[graphic] when I turn 18. This was my starting point in a way.”

After his experience in Peru, Smith went to Costa Rica to educate kids about robotics and engineering. He was approached by Fabian Segura, founder of Cogno Robotics, to present as part of the company.

“I was picked up from the hotel at 6:30 every morning,” Smith said, “and we would drive to the schools and I would present. I would go back, stay with the company and hang out with their people.”

Smith greatly changed his perspective about engaging in all parts of the community after traveling to South America.

“We’re so blessed here,” Smith said, “and the opportunities are just beyond what [the kids] can imagine down there, and yet they’re still doing incredible work.”

Smith looks forward to next summer, hoping to go back on both trips.

“I’m already planning to go back to Peru to keep on working down there,” Smith said. “I was already talking to them about going back to Costa Rica.”

ON THE EDGE Junior Kyle Smith takes photos of a native Peruvian during his time with professional photographer Steve Winter.

• Stories Michael Lukowicz, Sid Vattamreddy Photos Courtesy Jayan Joshi, Kyle Smith

News • September 22, 2017 • The ReMarker • Page 7

‘DISCUSSION MUST BE HAD’ Keeping perspective

H In a round table discussion, humanities instructor Meagan Frazier (left), History and Social Sciences Department Chair David Fisher (center) and Political Forum President Austin Montgomery (right) discuss the issues behind Charlottesville.

Nancy and Jeffrey Marcus Master Teaching Chair Bruce Westrate (left), senior Mateo Diaz (center), and Hill Washburne, president of the Political Speaker Series (right), debate Dallas’s vote to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee in Lee Park.

After the Dallas City Council voted 13 to 1 for the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue in Oak Lawn, a temporary restraining order halted the removal just hours after the vote Sept. 6.

Crews were ordered by Dallas officials to remove the 14-foot-tall statue Sept. 14.

Voices

Continued from page one

e was scared.

On Aug. 11, Luke Williams ’14 was on the University of Virginia (UVA) campus, training for his new job as a residential advisor in his senior year.

News of the Unite the Right protests had already infiltrated campus walls — people knew this would happen.

But as the events unfolded that night and through the morning, some couldn’t believe their eyes.

Backlit by the hue of tiki torch flames, members of the “alt-right,” the Ku Klux Klan and the neo-Nazi movement marched through the UVA campus to protest the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee. “White lives matter!”

“Blood and soil!”

“Jews will not replace us!”

Shouts and chants bellowed throughout the campus, and without trying to sensationalize it, Williams says he and the people around him were scared.

And that fear lasted.

After the protests, after the deaths of Heather Heyer and two Virginia state troopers, Jay Cullen and Berke Bates, a harrowing fear hung over Charlottesville like a thick, hazy fog.

Many of Williams’ friends were hesitant to do what they usually did around town — many of the protesters were still in Charlottesville.

But in the weeks following Charlottesville, the country has struggled to figure out what to do next, how to respond.

Movements have emerged to encourage the removal of Confederate monuments like the ones in Charlottesville. The Trump administration has faced backlash over its response to the events and the growing political polarization in a post-Charlottesville world have ushered in what some call a new era of discontent in the nation.

But despite the noise throughout the country, senior Mateo Diaz says discussions on campus and across the nation can be the method to finding solutions for these issues.

“Discussion must be had,” Diaz said. “It may be uncomfortable. You may not enjoy it. But there are topics that if left to yourself, your opinion will be devoid of a richness of knowledge that comes from listening to others and hearing what you might not believe.”

So, sitting around a Harkness

The country, city and Marksmen past and present reflect on the issues that have defined the month following the events in Charlottesville, Virginia.

table, students and faculty discussed and listened, agreed and disagreed.

From Charlottesville to Dallas’s own Confederate statues (most notably in Lee Park), one theme arose: the country needs dialogue.

Discussion must be had.

While watching the events of that

weekend unfold, humanities instructor Meagan Frazier’s sense of place in history’s path seemed blurred.

“As a teacher, it feels like something that I teach my kids about in the past tense,” Frazier said, “but when it happens in the present tense, it adds a different tone to how I’m teaching it and how I’m explaining it to my students. It brings a whole new aspect to history. People are still carrying these feelings, and it’s definitely disheartening because it flipped my worldview of the place I call home.”

History and Social Sciences Department Chair David Fisher remains optimistic despite what’s on the news.

“I think there has been genuine improvement in the relations between different kinds of Americans — we’re not gonna go back there,” Fisher said. “For every two steps we take forward, we’re probably going to take a step back. History has these fluctuations.”

Similarly, Master Teaching Chair

Bruce Westrate sees the emergence of the “alt-right” white supremacy as an outlier to the nation’s progress.

“We have to be careful of how we react to these things,” Westrate said. “These people want to provoke an overreaction — that’s a part of their diabolical intent… I really do not think that this represents what the United States is. It’s an outlier, and these things happen, and always will happen in a place where you allow free speech and scope of opinion.”

Political Forum co-President Austin Montgomery agrees that events in Charlottesville were an anomaly, but he believes that the recent rise in political instability stems primarily from the 2016 election.

“I do think this was something of an outlier,” Montgomery said. “I do think that in the months since November, this political polarization has increased to levels it wasn’t at before, You’re seeing more and more extreme views popping up.”

These “extreme views,” according to Diaz, serve as a forewarning to the state of American politics. He believes white supremacists’ public demonstrations represent their public reemergence.

“I think it was a wakeup call on views that were presumed in the past,” Diaz said. “This shows that those people want to be heard. These groups have not been at the forefront

DOWN IT GOES Following protests, debates and a lawsuit, the City of Dallas removed the Robert E. Lee statue from Lee Park Sept. 14.

of public discourse recently.”

As the nation rocked after Charlottesville and racism returned to the national spotlight, so did the dilemma of Confederate statues.

Are they remnants of our nation’s history? Are they relics of a dead ideology deserving to be forgotten?

To Fisher, the initial response should be one of calculated thought.

“The first reaction should not be ‘It’s Confederate, therefore let’s eliminate it,’” Fisher said. “I would even say where there is a statue of [Robert E.] Lee there might be an argument to maintain a statue in that place. It’s sort of like a museum piece already.

It reflects the values of the society of which it was a part.”

Fisher acknowledges the values of a bygone era do not necessarily outweigh those of the values of the present.

“At the same time we have an obligation to the people of our society,” Fisher said. “If there is an African American majority population of a southern town, and there’s a Lee statue in the middle of the town and that population really doesn’t want that statue there anymore I think we have to defer to the people who live there.”

Westrate agrees • ‘If there is with Fisher’s desire such thing as for more of an ina positive that can come out of depth analysis of Charlottesville, the statues on a case it’s that it by case basis. Furhas forced a thermore, he stressconversation es the importance of which will then blossom into paying attention to many more.’ the circumstances Senior Mateo that led to the estabDiaz lishment of these statues.

“To understand that the reason for putting up a statue can have more to do with heroism, the sacrifice, the tragedy, than the issue of slavery,” Westrate said, “most of the soldiers that died didn’t own any slaves. Six percent of the troops owned any slaves at all. I’m not making excuses for the cause but I’m just trying to point out that it is natural for people

who are going through an experience like that to want to remember the relatives who fell in this epic tragedy.”

On the topic of the historical relevance of the Confederate Statues, Hill Washburne, president of the Political Speaker Series, believes there’s a minority of people who use the statues to inspire hate.

“The views held by those people are obviously despicable and shouldn’t be tolerated, but I feel like it’s such a minority view and in a very rural location those people descended on that location and protested on the removal of a confederate statue,” Washburne said.

In the bigger picture, Frazier

believes the country’s past should be taken into account because the nation’s history brought the country to where it is today.

“When we get into this habit of ‘let’s just throw all our dirty laundry away’ then we don’t acknowledge how far we’ve come and we start to forget all of the things that got us here,” Frazier said. “If the statues end up coming down, that’s fine, but I think that the bigger things that we are upset about and continue to be upset about are not going to be addressed.”

The thick, hazy fog of fear and ominous hue of tiki torch flames — the symbols of Charlottesville and the events that followed have shaken the nation to its core and sparked conversations that will define a country during a time of confusion.

The fear and hate still remain.

But Williams believes it all starts with education and awareness.

“This is not an isolated event,” Williams said. “Antisemitism is not an isolated event. Anti-black racism is not an isolated event. We need to be teaching students how to understand the reality in the world. Before we condemn white supremacists, let’s condemn white supremacy, whether it be how we teach history in classes, or just how we live in general.”

• Story Kobe Roseman, Zach Gilstrap, Blake Daugherty Photos Kobe Roseman, Riley Sanders ONLINE POLLS: SURVEYING MORE THAN 2000 AMERICANS AUG. 19-21

Opinions while watching the removal of Dallas’s Robert E. Lee statue

“The story is still real. So we must find ways to tell that story so our children will understand how we were born.”

“Some people still respect him (Robert E. Lee) a great deal. I think you just tell both sides of the man’s history. I think it’s up to the people to decide.”

— Clarence Glover, former African American Studies professor

— Jane Manning, Dallas Citizens for Unity and Reconciliation

SHOULD THE CONFEDERATE STATUES STAY STANDING? YES 54% ARE NEO-NAZI’S ACCEPTABLE? YES 9%

NO 27%

Source: Reuters

NOT SURE 19%

Source: New York Daily News

NO 83%

NOT SURE 8%

Page 8 • The ReMarker • September 22, 2017 • News

BETTER THAN EVER Ethos task forces

The Leadership and Ethics Council is now Ethos, a more enveloping group aiming to serve the community.

A

fter years of different organizations, including the Leadership and Ethics Council and Telos, a team led by Dr. Martin Stegemoeller combined its efforts to make

Ethos, a single entity formed to serve not only the students, but also the greater school community. Faculty team members include Marjorie Curry, Johnny Hunter, Dr. John Perryman and Amy Stanbury. Here are Perryman, Stanbury, Stegemoeller and Curry’s thoughts on the biggest changes from Leadership and Ethics Council to the new Ethos group:

1

What was previously scattered is now all one organization.

I think it makes sense to align and try to place everything that’s going on under one central location. There was always a lot going on, but they were kind of scattered.

The school made a wise move to devote human work hours and free up some people’s schedules to oversee some stuff, so it makes sense to have everything under one heading with Mr. Ashton overseeing everything from his office.

With Mr. Ashton, it’s easier to oversee all three divisions, but when it was housed just within one division, it was a little more difficult to reach out.

— Dr. John Perryman

2

More Moreand andmore morepeopeople plecan canand andshould should join, join,and andnot notjust just seniors. seniors.

We Wedefinitely definitelywant wantunderunderclassmen, classmen,especially especiallyin inTelos Telos 66and and8.8.IfIfwe wepair pairthem themwith with seniors, seniors,it’ll it’lltrain trainthe theunderunderclassmen classmenand andgive givethem themgood good experience. experience.

IfIfanything, anything,our ourgoals goalsare are so somuch muchbigger, bigger,because becausewe’re we’re able ableto toget getso somany manymore morekids kids involved. involved.It’s It’sthe thebest bestway wayto to get getkids kidsinvolved involvedin inthe thecom-

munity. It’s all organized so that more people are able to be involved. Changes that we see are more openness and more opportunities for people to get involved. — Amy Stanbury and Marjorie Curry

3

Communication is better than ever.

The communication has gotten better, with the emails sent out at the end of last year. Before, Leadership and Ethics Council and Telos were sort of a “you gotta know somebody” type of club, and we’re trying to change that.

A ton more kids have come out because of our better communication. We’re getting better, but there’s definitely still room for improvement.

— Amy Stanbury

4

The organization has a greater scope than before.

We hope that the older guys learn why throwing themselves into care for their world is the best thing they can do for themselves and the world.

We hope that the older boys realize that by engaging with other people, they identify with the success of these people and that caring for them becomes natural and enjoy-

able. We hope that the older guys will come to understand that they are co-creators in their school’s character and leadership education effort.

We hope that the younger boys feel cared for and get an increased sense of belonging at the school.

We also hope they get inspired to get more involved themselves, and we hope that they learn how good it is to take care of people rather than trying to put them down. It’s going to be a great thing to see.

— Dr. Martin Stegemoeller

5

Ethos will create leaders way better than before.

We want our boys to improve their characters and leadership skills, and the task forces are all meant to educate the heads, hearts and hands of the older boys, and to give the younger boys the profound experience of older guys with more power using that power to bring up the younger guys rather than ignoring them or pushing them down.

Ultimately, leaders of character take care of their people well. All of the Ethos task forces give the older guys opportunities to take care of their people.

— Dr. Martin Stegemoeller

LEADERSHIP AND ETHICS Leading the Ethos team are Dr. Martin Stegemoeller, Marjorie Curry, Amy Stanbury, Johnny Hunter and Dr. John Perryman.

Ethos task forces Here is the new committee structure for ‘Ethos’: · Communications Task Force: A group that solicits feedback about all character and leadership efforts at St. Mark’s in order to analyze and respond to the feedback and improve collective efforts. · Content Task Force: A group that works with faculty to design content such as videos that aid classes or may be used in admissions, athletics or alumni relations. · Conference Task Force: A group that locates appropriate local and national student leadership conferences and organizes students to attend them. · Fraternity Task Force: A group of Upper School participants in various student activities that arranges and runs meetings with their Middle and Lower School counterparts to inspire them and lend expertise. · Innovation Task Force: A group that designs innovative ways for Ethos to capitalize on opportunities to improve leadership education here. · Playground Task Force: A group that organizes opportunities for Upper School boys to play with Lower

School boys on the playground and fields when possible. · Senior/Freshmen Buddy Task Force: A group that runs meetings between seniors and freshmen to help navigate the challenges of school life. · Speaker Task Force: A group that organizes and runs opportunities to hear speakers on character and leadership education both on and off campus. · Task Force on Chapel: A group that works with the main chapel committee to arrange good speakers on topics of character and leadership. · Telos 4: A group that meets monthly with fourth graders to inspire them to join in the main school activities going forward in their school lives. · Telos 6: A group that meets monthly with sixth graders to educate and encourage them to navigate their lives successfully at school. · Telos 8: A group that meets monthly with eighth graders to educate and encourage them to navigate their lives successfully at school.

• Story Alec Dewar, Sam Shane Photo Owen Berger

Marksmen compete in national math tournament

by Christopher Wang Six Marksmen, including two alumni from the Class of 2017, competed in the 42nd annual American Regions Mathematics League (ARML) competition over the summer.

The competition was held June 2-3 and featured over 120 teams, consisting of 15 members each. Every state was represented by two to three teams, and five of the six Marksmen made the first Texas team.

The five Marksmen to make the first Texas team were senior math team captains Jesse Zhong and Kevin Feng, Kaden Han ‘17 and Kevin Choi ‘17 and sophomore Nicholas Tsao, while junior Dylan Liu managed to make the second Texas team. The first Texas team placed 5th out of 74 teams in the A division.

Zhong said Liu should still be proud of his accomplishments.

“Even though Dylan wasn’t on the best Texas team, he still got 20th individually, which is really good,” Zhong said.

For Zhong, the competition was not only a place to show his math skills, but also a place to catch up with old friends.

“We have friends from Houston that

we don’t get to see very often except at math contests,” Zhong said. “Even people that we know around Dallas that we don’t get to see on a daily basis; it’s fun to catch up with those people.”

With the Math Team season approaching, Zhong and Feng plan on preparing for competitions like ARML by involving more underclassmen.

“Instead of separating and choosing different problem levels, this year I feel like we are going to teach more and show the underclassmen how to do the more difficult problems,” Zhong said.

Feng has several tournaments in mind which he hopes members of the team will go to for more practice.

“Some competitions that we hope our students go to are Mandelbrot, OSU, Texas A&M and Metroplex,” Feng said.

Ultimately, Zhong and Feng hope that their students learn more than just new math skills from the club.

“Obviously, we hope our students get better at math, but we also hope they develop a passion for math and are able to build relationships with people who share the same interests as them, not necessarily related to math,” Feng said.

In the picture

BRAND NEW PLAYGROUND Over the summer, a new playground was built for the Lower School. The old playground was torn down last school year in order to create space for the new Winn Science Center, and the parts from the old playground were sent to the Dominican Republic to be used by underprivileged schools. The new playground features an astroturf ground cover and brand new equipment, in addition to the sandbox from the old playground. The Lower School parking lot has a basketball hoop set up so the kids can shoot hoops.

News • September 22, 2017 • The ReMarker • Page 9

THE LAST STUDENT Going global

J

ake Horigome-Pigg walks up the winding stairs in Hoffman Center and heads toward his sixth periMOVING ON od class.

After six years, He opens the door, sits down and Horigome-Pigg takes out his homework just like he is finishing does in all his other classes. But this his study of one is different. Instead of being filled Japanese at 10600 Preston with other Marksmen, it’s just him — and his Japanese teacher, Etsuko Road, but his Barber. application of Horigome-Pigg has been exposed the language is just getting to Japanese from a young age. His started. mother, who was born in Japan, took HorigomePigg on a trip there when he was four-years-old.

“My mom put me in a Japanese kindergarten and I picked up the language quickly,” Horigome-Pigg said.

He stayed in Japan for three months, learning the new language from his classmates and his mother.

“My mom was also teaching me words,” Horigome-Pigg said, “but having that experience of being around other kids my age really helped.”

Going into seventh grade, Horigome-Pigg had to choose a foreign language to take — he decided to enroll in Japa-

nese.

“I was proficient at speaking to kids my age and holding conversations,” Horigome-Pigg said, “but there was still a lot of stuff I didn’t know. I wasn’t very good at reading or writing, especially the Chinese characters.”

Nobody else in his grade wanted to take Japanese, and only a few students in the grade above him were enrolled in the program. HorigomePigg ended up being placed in the freshmen Japanese 1B class.

“I already knew Drew Taylor [’16] and Leighton Okada [’16] through choir and other things,” Horigome-Pigg said. “It took a little while for them to get used to me since I was less mature than they were. Once we got a dynamic going in that class, it was awesome. That class was one of the most fun classes I’ve ever been in. We became a family in there. We still all talk and have all these stories and inside jokes.”

Horigome-Pigg learned much more than just Japanese from his freshmen classmates.

“They had been through a lot of things I hadn’t yet experienced,” Horigome-Pigg said. “When I needed advice about girls or anything else, I could go to them.”

During Horigome-Pigg’s seventh grade year, Foreign Language Department chair Nancy Marmion

• Story Andy Crowe, Christopher Wang Photo Riley Sanders

Senior Horigome-Pigg wraps up his final year of Japanese.

With his departure comes the end of the Japanese program. announced the Japanese program was being discontinued.

“When we started the Japanese program in the early 90’s, Japan was at its economic peak in terms of economic power,” Marmion said.

As Japan’s economic boom died down and the amount of Spanish and Chinese speakers in the world increased, students began choosing different languages.

“There are a billion people who speak Chinese, so I think that was a big reason for the decline of student enrollment in the Japanese program,” Marmion said. “That and, of course, in Texas, the demand for Spanish continues to grow.”

Despite the program being discon-

tinued, Horigome-Pigg was allowed to continue Japanese. After four years of taking Japanese with older Marksmen, his junior year was a completely new experience.

“Junior year was kind of a shock,” Horigome-Pigg said. “It was just me one-on-one with Ms. Barber.

It was just upsetting at first because I had this awesome class in previous years and then I had no one in my class.”

Seeing a class shrink down to a single student was a big change.

“Teaching Jake is different from teaching a normal class,” Barber said. “In a regular class, I’m teaching

Japanese as a foreign language. To Jake, it’s strange because Japanese is his heritage. He has more exposure to the Japanese language and culture, and he uses Japanese regularly with his mom, so it’s a little different.”

Although Horigome-Pigg is fluent, he still has a lot to learn.

“The benefits of working one-onone with Jake rather than teaching a whole class is that Jake has the whole 45 minutes to himself,” Barber said.

“When he practices or writes something, I can go over it with him, so it’s completely focused on him.”

After teaching Japanese for 26 years, Barber will transition over to Chinese in the 2019 school year.

“Before my transition to Chinese,” Barber said, “I just wanted to know the Chinese and Korean languages. I started taking some courses and went to China and studied for four weeks in Shanghai. When I decided to transition to teaching Chinese, I felt that I needed to learn some more, so I went there again. Last year was my third time in China.”

Horigome-Pigg plans to use the Japanese in the future.

“If I go to a college that offers Japanese, I will take it,” HorigomePigg said. “My dream is to study international relations in college.

Hopefully I will be able to use Japanese in conjunction with whatever job I get after college.”

News • September 22, 2017 • The ReMarker • Page 10

THE MANUAL Tailgatin’ Your guide to all things manly

In this issue: Man-Cave Essentials Tailgating Fantasy Football

• Story Zach Landry Photos Riley Sanders, Adnan Khan, Mateo Diaz

I

t’s one of the great American traditions — tailgating. Football season is finally here and every red-blooded American needs to know how to be a master of this timehonored tradition. Don’t be that guy who doesn’t know what to do come gameday. Use these four surefire ways to assert your tailgate dominance.

FIVELISTSOFFIVE

THE FOOD Drinks?

Check. Chips and guac?

Of course.

Grill? Fire it up. There’s no such thing as “too much” for this category.

Become a Fantasy Football guru OK, not everyone can be Tom Brady, right?

You don’t have to be a football stud to be king of the hill once gridiron season starts.

So, find a Fantasy Football team — or start your own. There’s tons of information online — Yahoo, ESPN and the National Football League itself — on how to organize a league, what to do to get started and how to have fun all season long. All designed to make you be the Jerry Jones of the fantasy world.

THE ENTERTAINMENT Whether it’s head-to-head in a game of cornhole or tossing the pigskin in the parking lot, make sure there’s plenty of things to do at your tailgate.

Whether your fantasy team is on top of the league or hanging near the bottom, this insider information just might save your season. Here’s some key selections for you to consider: Don’t call me Matthew Berry or a fantasy oracle, but these selections should help you regain league dominance.

Happy picking!

Five Value Players 1.

Marcus Mariota (QB), Tennessee Titans 2. Adrian Peterson (RB), New Orleans Saints 3. Brandon Marshall (WR), New York Giants 4. Philip Rivers (QB), Los Angeles Chargers 5. Jack Doyle (TE), Indianapolis Colts Top Rookie Breakouts 6. Kareem Hunt (RB), Kansas City Chiefs 7. Leonard Fournette (RB), Jacksonville Jaguars 8. Christian McCaffrey (RB), Carolina Panthers 9. Corey Davis (WR), Tennessee Titans 10. Joe Mixon (RB), Cincinatti Bengals Top Sleepers 1.

Terrance West (RB), Baltimore Ravens 2. Jamison Crowder (WR), Washington Redskins 3. Carson Wentz (QB), Philadelphia Eagles 4. Derrick Henry (RB), Tennessee Titans 5. Ty Montgomery (RB), Green Bay Packers Five Busts 6. Ben Roethlisberger (QB), Pittsburgh Steelers 7. LeGarrette Blount (RB), Philadelphia Eagles 8. Jarvis Landry (WR), Miami Dolphins 9. Sammy Watkins (WR), Los Angeles Rams 10. Eddie Lacy (RB), Seattle Seahawks Best Team Names 11. Fournetteflix and Chill 12. The Dakstreet Boys 13. Krispy Kareem Donuts 14. Dez-pacito 15. I’m just here so I don’t get last place

• Selections Zach Landry

THE SPIRIT Time to put on that lucky jersey and get decked out with some quality fan gear.

Needed: one mancave

No football fan can truly call himself that without a manly lair, here’s what you need to be perfectly outfitted for an afternoon or evening of football frenzy.

PERFECTLY OUTFITTED Essentials for a complete mancave include pinball machines and pool tables (far left). A comfy sofa (above) surrounded by posters representing the classics and leg support are musts as demonstrated by senior William Hall reclining in his domain.

Page 11

Hanging out with...

Senior Owen Berger and junior Emmett Berger

Get the inside scoop on some of the best times with the Berger brothers.

Emmett Berger (left) and Owen Berger Riley Sanders photo What’s y’alls favorite thing about each other?

Owen Berger: My favorite thing about Emmett is that he offers to drive me in the morning.

Emmett Berger: My favorite thing about Owen is that he’s able to help me with classes because he took them last year.

Describe each other in three words.

OB: Runner, creative and annoying.

EB: Smart, athletic and lazy.

Any nicknames y’all have for each other?

OB: No. What’s y’alls favorite hobby to do together?

OB: I love playing ping pong, and also a while ago, we used to play this game where one person would hold a basketball, and the other one would have to throw a tennis ball at him, and you’d have to hit the tennis ball with the basketball midair, and we made a game out of it.

What is something you all fight over constantly?

OB: Whose shirt is whose.

EB: Clothes.

What do you and your brother have most in common?

OB: People say we talk the same.

What’s a weird habit of your brother?

OB: He runs for fun, I’ll put it that way.

EB: He always eats cereal out of the box without milk, and I just don’t get that.

Funniest memory together?

OB: We make fun of our sister together a lot.

What is Owen/Emmett good/bad at?

OB: Emmett is good at hacking into other people’s Netflix accounts.

EB: Owen is good at soccer and saying he’s going to one place and then going to another.

What about Owen/Emmett annoys you the most?

OB: He stalks me.

EB: Most annoying thing about Owen is that he says that I stalk him even though I don’t stalk him.

What was your biggest fight or argument about?

EB: Shirts.

LIFE A FUN DAY

Riley Sanders photo After nearly three weeks of classes, fifth grader Ethan Cohen (above) lets loose, jumping over the obstacle during Fun Day Sept. 6. The event featured a variety of physical activities for kids to bounce on and included food trucks from In-N-Out. Fun Day is hosted alternately between St. Mark’s and Hockaday every other year in the fall.

Life in brief PHOTO PROGRAM BHUTAN EXHIBIT WILL BE IN NEARBURG The school’s photography program will showcase a gallery of photos from its trip to Bhutan Sept. 25 in Nearburg Hall.

Over the summer from June 13 to June 25, 15 members of the program traveled to Bhutan, where they took a variety of pictures, including pictures of the architecture, landscapes and locals.

BLUES CLUB REVITALIZED After a one year hiatus, Blues Club is back and will be having their second performance at an Austin Street Dinner Oct. 12 at 6 p.m.

This year, junior Raymond Jurcak is Blues Club president, and physics instructor Stephen Houpt is the club sponsor again.

Their first performance was

during the club fair Sept. 12 in Spencer Gym. CHOIR PREFORMED IN ENGLAND OVER SUMMER The choir visited England for the group’s annual summer trip July 18 to Aug. 3, singing at several sites around the country, including Canterbury Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral and, most notably, Westminster Abbey.

Performances ranged from traditional evensongs to more of a concert style, with the choir selecting its own pieces, not following the standard service pattern.

Sophomore Camp Collins was featured as a soloist throughout the week.

LEE BERGER COMING TO VISIT FOR FOURTH YEAR Dr. Lee Berger, an anthropologist will be visiting Oct. 11 to speak to both Upper and Middle

Inside

12-13

School students.

This year marks the fourth year that Berger visits campus, and this time he is also bringing with him six of his fellow underground astronauts to help talk about his latest discoveries.

Eugene McDermott Master Teaching Chair John Mead will be organizing and coordinating the event.

them.

Although they don’t know a lot about the competition, their main focus is unpacking about 3000 pounds of material and equipment for putting their shop back together.

Artist in action

CONCERTS

Junior Ayush Saha and his art

A Guide to Sage

14 Babysitter Stories

A glance at some of the most interesting and funny experiences related to babysitting.

< 2 Chainz

A glimpse into the new zone system implemented in the library and its impact on students.

20

Bhutan Photos

A peek into the photography team’s trip to Bhutan and the photos they took.

Sept. 29

A$AP Mob

Oct. 18

Kid Cudi

Oct. 22

ALBUMS <

19 New Library Zones

DEBATE PAIRING FINDS SUCCESS IN LOCAL COMPETITION Junior Wheeler Sears and senior Harris Wilson won the national Grapevine Classic debate tournament Sept. 8.

Wilson and Sears won four of five prelim debates, seeding sixth entering elimination.

Of the 150 competitors ranked in preliminary competition, Wilson was ranked the seventh best speaker and Sears the eighth best speaker.

Sears says the team won four straight debates in the single elimination bracket including a 3-0 victory over South Eugene to be crowned the tournament champions, and they hope to extend their success over the year as they continue to compete along with many of their fellow debaters.

VISITING SCHOLAR COMING NOVEMBER Willard E. Walker, Jr. ’66 Visiting Scholar Robert Edsel ’75 will ROBOTICS TEAM PREPARES be visiting Nov. 1 and Nov. 2.

FOR FIRST COMPETITION He is recognized for his work The robotics team, led by roin art preservation and treasury botics sponsor Doug Rummel with recovery, as he has spent the last senior captains Andrew Smith and 13 years doing research on the Perry Naseck, gear up for their Monuments Men and Women, first competition in the third week the soldier-scholars who helped of September. save some of the world’s art from The BEST competition — destruction during World War II. boosting, engineering, science He has located and and technology — is a Home interviewed twenty Monument Depot robot where the team will Officers. have to construct the robot from He is the number one scratch and attach the brains and best-selling author of three motors the organization gives non-fiction books, Rescuing Da ­­­­­­— Dylan Liu, Matthew Zhang, Sam Goldfarb, Sahit Dendekuri, Sam Ahmed, Matthew Zhang, Mark Tao

Headliners

A look into the new cafeteria, and some of the best tips and tricks for navigating the new menu.

Vinci, The Monuments Men and Saving Italy.

When Was the Last Time, Darius Rucker

Oct. 20

‘

Inspiration comes from my mind. I usually use art as a method of calming myself and relaxing from the stresses of life. Whatever I feel, whatever I think, that’s what I draw.

3 20

Hours spent per week on art Number of grand pieces of art

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Sept. 29 The Bigger Artist Gemini, Macklemore Sept. 22

MOVIES

Ayush Saha >

< The Foreigner

American Made The Mountain Between Us Thor Ragnarok

Oct. 13 Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Nov. 3 Adnan Khan photo

Page 12 • The ReMarker • September 22, 2017 • Life

• Story Sahit Dendekuri, Mark Tao Photos Adnan Khan, Davis Bailey

A delightful sip: delicious drinks 1. Arnold Palmer

This classic pairing of lemonade and iced tea is only made better by Sage’s freshly squeezed lemonade and sweetened iced tea.

A perfect blend of tartness and subtle hints of sweetness, this secret concoction effortlessly climbs into our top spot for best drink in the cafeteria.

2. Pineapple water

For all you flavored water connoisseurs out there, the best choice should be obvious.

The pineapple flavored water is a clear stand out amongst the crowd.

A unique flavor of fruit, pineapple water may seem super simple, but truly adds a different dimension to flavored water.

Its subtle notes of sweetness compliment-

Have you heard? Secret menu 1. Mac & cheese and turkey

It seems that turkey goes well with just about anything, and mac and cheese is no exception. With just three layers of mac and cheese topped with two layers of turkey, your lunch gets about 100 times better.

The sweet, savory flavor of the turkey combining with the rich cheesy flavor of the mac and cheese combine together to create a delicious sandwich out of what would seem to be two clashing components that don’t synthesize well.

2. Pure black coffee + vanilla ice cream

This seems like one of those things that seems super obvious once you first experience it. Combining the bitter, black

Indian food comparison With the coming of Sage, one of the biggest concerns was the leaving of the staple Indian food. We asked Marksmen what they think about the new Sage Indian food versus the old.

ed by the refreshing mint provides for an optimal tasting experience. Although it’s not always available in the usual line up, when it is there, we recommend you take full advantage of this sensational sensory experience.

3. Lemon water

Lemon water is probably the most classic flavor of water. It fits in any meal, adding a tinge of sourness to an otherwise bland cup water. Lemon water goes with any lunch you’re having, whether it’s chicken, or even an ice cream cone, one cannot go wrong with lemon water.

A drink that you can find in any restaurant, you can never go wrong with some lemon water.

Spicing it up: new spices

‘Souper’ soups

1. Red Habanero

1. Mac and Cheese Soup

This hot sauce is certainly not for the faint of heart. Dabble with caution.

2. Flavored Salts

We had no idea that there were different kinds of salts, but now that Sage has opened our eyes to the variety of seasonings that exist, we are certainly excited to pack our entrées and sides with extra flavor.

3. Cajun Jalapeño

Although it’s not as spicy as other sauces like, Tabasco and Cholula, the Cajun jalapeño sauce provides a pleasant tang to any dish of your choice.

coffee with the sweet, milky taste of Sage’s ice cream, you’ll be having what truly tastes like a Starbucks frappucino.

For the coffee drinkers out there, this combination will change your lunch experience.

3. Burger mac panini

Although we don’t get mac and cheese every day, when it is served we recommend you place it between two slices of toasted bread. When the cheese melts into the sourdough, you’ll feel like you’re in a SAGE heaven. The burger mac is truly a unique food combination, and we know that you’ll enjoy it.

If you try the mac & cheese and turkey panini and you don’t like it, you can always go with this one.

— Junior Samir Ratakonda

2. Chili Soup

Finding its way into the first lineup of Sage this year, the now-well-known chili bar was a success by all accounts.

The variety of toppings perfectly complemented the rich flavor of the filling yet satisfying bowl of chili.

A mixture of white and yellow cheddar melted over the crunchy and salty Fritos, the green onions and sour cream adding give the bowl of goodness a whole flavor to it.

Mark your calendars now and prepare for the countless combinations of chili bowls.

3. Thai Chicken Curry Soup

SOUP STATION Always ready for fourth period, the soup station offers a new flavor every day.

Not as good. I think the naan less authentic. Even though ‘ It’s the quality of the chicken is better, ‘ was a lot better last year.

I still prefer the old Indian food.

Who knew mac and cheese could be made into a soup?

Now that it exists, we are all the more thankful for it. Imagine the runniest, gooiest mac and cheese you’ve ever had times ten.

This delicious soup was a fan favorite last time it was served and is only made better with the addition of shredded cheese, chives, and bacon to provide for an incredible dining experience.

— Seventh grader Sammy Larkin

A twist on the popular chicken noodle soup that was a hallmark of the cafeteria for years, this soup, salty with a hint of spice, lives up to the standards set by the other selections.

A few drops of Sriracha amplifies the unique curry flavor, and the soup leaves a pleasant aftertaste, especially when you’re feeling a little spicy.

was hoping for something think it’s more Indian than the one last ‘ Imore ‘ Iyear, spicy. there’s more spice than the last one.

— Science instructor Dan Northcut ‘81

For me it’s more close to the food my mom would make or I would get at an Indian store.

— Senior Arjun Singh

Life • September 22, 2017 • The ReMarker • Page 13

Mixing it up: panini combinations

L

unch time. If it’s not everyone’s favorite time of the school day, it has to be close. The hiring of Sage Dining Services as the meal provider for more than 1,000 hungry Marksmen, faculty and staff brought about a plethora of new menu offerings, along with a panini station, varied sauces and flavorings and a chilled and expanded salad bar. Add to that a complete re-design of the servery and we felt a go-to guide for getting the most out of your lunch experience was in order.

THE USER’S GUIDE TO

SAGE

With so many options available to students with the new Sage Dining Services, the panini bar has garnered the most attention. With its myriad of options, we took a look at some of the best paninis.

1. Grilled Cheese a la Sage Step 1: Apply butter generously to your bread. Step 2: Adorn your creation with an assortment of different cheeses to provide for optimal complexity of flavor. Step 3: Grill it! The best grilled cheese you’ve ever had in three easy steps.

Grilled cheese is best when it’s toasted to perfection, the longer the time it’s pressed, the better it will taste, thanks to the natural good, savory taste of melted cheese.

2. Ham, tomato and lettuce Ham, tomato and lettuce — Combining the savory flavor of ham with the sweet taste of tomato, adding in the strength of the onion, this blend of ham, onion and tomato will fill your stomach up.

The varying tastes of all the different components of this panini come together to create a delicious sandwich.

3. Peanut butter and honey The new addition of honey to the cafeteria is a relatively small-scale change in the overview of Sage, but it certainly does wonders.

Being able to create the old school peanut butter and honey sandwich is a quick but delicious lunch option, specifically tailored for kids that have a sweet tooth.

The soft bread is the conductor of the sweet yet creamy substance that is jammed in between the two golden pieces.

And further, who doesn’t like a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich? And when it’s toasted: even better.

A peek into the new servery

CLASSIC FLAVORS With the same options but new cones and improved taste, the ice cream continues to attract students.

SPICY RACK Working behind the mountain of sauces and spices, parents help out with the panini presses.

GRILLED GOODS After a busy morning, students enjoy the hot sandwiches provided by the new and popular panini bar.

READY TO SERVE Preparing for the fourth period lunch rush, the entrées are set up on one of the three main tables.

NEW ADDITIONS Along with lemonade, the new selection of “spa water” is proving to be popular.

Page 14 • The ReMarker • September 22, 2017 • Life

THE BABYSITTING BUNCH Babysitting

Babysitting isn’t always smooth. Four people — seniors Sammy Sanchez and Owen Berger, junior William Haga and film instructor Jennifer Gilbert — share the tribulations of the job.

Naftal Mautia: So, did anything interesting happen while babysitting?

Owen Berger: I once put a kid to bed and then went downstairs and started watching TV and the kid comes downstairs sleepwalking and starts screaming that his rocket ship is taking off without him.

NM: Did you tell the parents when they came back?

OB: They told me that he did it a lot and that it wasn’t anything to worry about.

NM: So is babysitting hard or easy?

OB: Babysitting is hard because you have to be able to do the same dumb game one hundred times in a row.

Naftal Mautia: Tell me something funny that happened while counseling those little kids.

William Haga: One time while I was co-counseling a group of 5-6 year olds a kid broke down crying, refusing to talk to me for the rest of the day because I didn’t believe that his entire house was made out of Lunchables.

NM: What did you do afterwards?

WH: I had to apologize to him because technically I couldn’t prove his house wasn’t made out of Lunchables, so I had to revise the statement that I doubt his house was made from Lunchables because he wouldn’t keep walking otherwise. I still to this day am not sure if Jacob’s house is made from Lunchables.

NM: So, is camp counseling harder than babysitting?

WH: I would probably say counseling is harder than babysitting because as a counselor I had to be more of a teacher and less of a friend than a babysitter would be.

Naftal Mautia: So, how was babysitting?

Jennifer Gilbert: There was a brother and sister who lived in the same apartment as me, and I’d babysit them sometimes. We’d just play together and goof off.

NM: How do you negotiate pay?

JG: You just tell them up front “this is how much I charge. I get X amount of dollars per hour.” I lived in Japan so it was about a 1000 yen an hour.

NM: Did the siblings ever cause trouble?

JG: Hmmmmm, not really. If they do, put them in a time out.

NM: Is babysitting more than one kid better or worse?

JG: I’d say it’s better because you have more stuff to do.

NM: Wait, what’s it like babysitting in Japan?

JG: Probably the same as babysitting in the states, only I made more money.

NM: And what are the best things to do while babysitting?

JG: Just bring something to do with the kids. Like a game. Or bring them candy.

Just don’t tell their parents.

NM: Anything else you want prospective babysitters to know?

JG: If the kid gets hurt, come up with a really good story, and make sure they agree to it.

Sam Goldfarb: How did you end up babysitting for Gregory?

Sammy Sanchez: Our dads work at the same courthouse or something, and my brother Nico was Gregory’s Senior Buddy. I started babysitting for him when Nico left for college two years ago.

SG: What do you guys normally get up to on any given night?

SS: Gregory is really into inventing stuff, so he spends a lot of time just creating things on his own. He somehow made these air fresheners out of Lego bricks one time, and he even let me keep one. It’s still in my car, and it’s been lasting for such a long time!

SG: What other crazy stuff has he made for you?

SS: Well, one day he came up to me with some drink that he called “Burp Juice,” which he said he made in his Potions Club. I thought he was messing with me, because it just looked like water, so I drank it for him. Once I tasted it I realized it was definitely NOT water, but it was too late by then. It worked.

Really well. Don’t underestimate that

BABYSITTING ADVENTURES Senior Sammy Sanchez, film instructor Jennifer Gilbert, senior Owen Berger and junior William Haga (clockwise from upper left) tell their stories.

stuff.

lab report about Burp Juice.

SG: He seemed really proud of his ability to burp on command when I spoke to him.

SS: He told me he couldn’t do that before he tried that Burp Juice. We should bring it up with the chemistry teachers.

SG: Overall, though, what’s your favorite thing about your relationship with Gregory?

SS: It’s really cool having a little dude around campus who’s just your buddy, you know? We get our Lower School buddies this year, but it’s different since I’ve known him longer than he’s been here. The little guys always think you’re the coolest if you’re in Upper School, and seeing him around campus, he’s always really excited to see me.

SG: Have there been any times you’ve been able to pass on some of the wisdom you’ve picked up from all your years here to him?

SS: Yeah, he asks me about school all the time. When he found out he was in Mrs. [Catherine] Wetzel’s class this year, we talked all about what she was like and what to expect. He’s given me some ‘advice,’ too. He told me I was going to die alone once.

SG: What do you mean by that?

SS: Oh, I’m sure he meant nothing by it.

His twin sister thought that when you were in high school, you had to have a boyfriend. I was trying to explain to her that this really wasn’t true and that she could do whatever she wanted, but Gregory jumped in and said “You’ll die alone if you don’t have a boyfriend.” I told him that I didn’t have a girlfriend either, and he said “Then you’ll die alone!” I don’t think he actually realized just what he was saying. Lego air fresheners one time, and Sammy asked if he could keep one.

SG: What’s one trait of his that you wish you picked up from him?

SS: He’s always so curious about the world. And he’s always moving, trying something new.

SG: Those young guys have something we lost, don’t they?

SS: Yeah. The homework hasn’t gotten to him yet. No one made him write a

Sam Goldfarb: So how did you get to know Sammy in the first place?

Gregory Cunningham: He started babysitting me when his brother left to go to college. Nico was my Senior Buddy.

SG: What’s your favorite thing to do with Sammy when he’s around?

Gregory Cunningham: I like to build Legos, and read sometimes, and just create things. Like I made fve of these SG: What other things do you like to create in your free time?

GC: Well, I’m in three clubs. One of them is the Invention Club, one’s kind of a… spying club, and the other is Potion Club, where I’m the tester and Tyson [Diep] my friend makes the different potions for me to try.

SG: So, it seems that you and Sammy get along really well, but is there anything that you wish he did that he doesn’t normally do while babysitting?

GC: Hmmm… No, not really. He’s really fun to talk to and he always helps me with school, but it would be cool if he could help me come up with ideas for things to make.

• Interview Naftal Mautia, Sam Goldfarb Photo Riley Sanders

All-American High School Film Festival recognizes three student films in national competition

by Sam Goldfarb hane Ndeda, a sophomore at the time, was proud of his screenplay. Drafted in one furious night after a brainstorming session with then-junior Clay Morris, he thought he had written something pretty good. It had earned him an A for film studies class, at least.

He figured his experience with that film, Fired, would probably end up like many high school films: produced with passion, but eventually forgotten. He’d probably never hear about it again after he got his grade back.

So it was with confusion that he tapped on an email from film instructor Jennifer Gilbert, that was waiting in his inbox in the middle of summer. It had been months since he’d finished filming.

“It really was a ‘Surprise!’ type

S

of thing when she told us we’d been accepted into the All American,” Ndeda said. “But Ms. Gilbert is always entering our films here into contests like this one, and it was really amazing to see that so many of us from St. Mark’s made the cut.”

Fired, the film created by Ndeda, Clay Morris and August Graue ’17, was one of three from the film program to be accepted into the All American High School Film Festival.

The others were Trump’d, a mockumentary produced by current seniors Matthew Theilmann and Sammy Sanchez and Pottery, the work of Devan Prabhakar ’17.

The festival is scheduled for Oct. 6-8 this year at AMC Times Square in New York City, though the film selection process began much earlier during the summer. It will feature screenings of student films from

around the country, panel discussions, networking opportunities and the chance to spend time with the best high-school filmmakers out there.

Ndeda won’t be able to attend, but that’s the least of his concerns. Although he cannot come, he is still honored to have his film selected.

“It’s really an honor to be accepted at all, even if I can’t go,” he said.

“We don’t make our films here just to get into these festivals, even though it’s at the back of our minds. The tips and

tricks I picked up from Clay [Morris] and August [Graue] are much more important than making it into a festival.”

Life • September 22, 2017 • The ReMarker • Page 15

FOREIGN RELATIONS 23 minutes with... Dominik Fronc

First Coffeehouse slated for Oct. 7

T

Flying in from Slovakia, junior Dominik Fronc begins a new chapter of his life as an exchange student at 10600 Preston Rd.

A NEW HOME Senior Mike Mahowald (right) talks with foreign exchange student Dominik Fronc about his impressions of America.

K

nees pumping, foreign exchange student Dominik Fronc plants the pole firmly in the box, both arms raised. He effortlessly glides up in the air, forming an L-shaped position with his legs and stomach at a 90 degree angle. Clearing the bar, he torques, falling gracefully into the cushion below.

But now, Fronc confronts a completely different bar, entering America for the first time–more than 5,500 miles from his native Slovakia–and aiming to complete his rigorous junior year here. Fronc isn’t just a pole vaulter; he’s a decathlete and a hard worker.

He’s here to experience everything. He’s here to overcome another obstacle. ··· Fronc had been considering going abroad since the ninth grade for the sake of both improving his English and experiencing something different.

“To travel abroad, we first had to fill some applications and get recommendations from teachers,” Fronc said. “Then I had to pass an English test, and I have no

idea how I did that. Then, they (those in charge of an exchange program known as ASSIST) invited me for an interview.”

Fronc became one of three people out of the 65 who applied to land a spot as an exchange student.

“I think the things which helped me get in were my results in sports and my grades,” Fronc said.

Fronc’s school schedule in Slovakia differs drastically from the one here. The only similarity is that both schools begin at 8 a.m.

“I have the same classmates for each period in Slovakia, and we can’t choose the lessons,” Fronc said. “We are all in the same classroom the whole day and we have the same schedule. I think the biggest difference between our schools is that you can choose the subjects that you study here, and it’s so much better.”

Besides school, Fronc also competes in decathlons, sets of ten track and field events in the span of two days, at an extremely high level.

“Decathlons interest me

because you have to do everything,” Fronc said. “I mostly train in throwing and pole vaulting.”

Fronc, who is living with senior Mike Mahowald and his family until December, hasn’t started his official training here yet, since track is a spring sport. However, back in Slovakia, he would go to intense practices almost every day.

“Once or twice a week in Slovakia we go to the weight room,” Fronc said. “Then we have training for strength dynamic, speed and technique. I go a total of six times a week.”

Surprisingly enough, he says the culture of America compared to that of Slovakia isn’t all that different.

“This is my first time in America,” Fronc said. “The customs here are similar to those in Slovakia. Before I came to Texas, I thought there would be things like cowboy hats, boots and big belts, but I haven’t seen a guy like that yet, probably because we’re in Dallas.”

In fact, some American customs are making appear-

by Dylan Liu he first Coffeehouse of the year, led by Fine Arts Board co-chairs Sammy Sanchez, Kannan Sharma and Niteesh Vemuri, will take place Oct. 7 in Decherd.

The main goal for Coffeehouse this year, according to Sharma, is to get more people involved and provide a greater variety of acts performed up on stage.

“Last year we had a lot of talent that graduated,” Sharma said, “so now we’re trying to get more people who haven’t been in there before to step up and do more fun stuff that generally isn’t done. That’s basically how people will have fun and learn something new about others.”

Since this is the first Coffeehouse where Sharma has a major role in planning the entire event, he feels excited but not overconfident.

“It’s much different stepping up to a leading role in Coffeehouse,” Sharma said. “We have to get everyone together and get all the acts ready.

We’re getting down and working a lot in the coming weeks, but it’ll turn out well in the end one way or another–everyone just comes and has an awesome time.”

Sharma also wants to make Coffeehouse a place for people to interact and build a stronger community.

“The main point of Coffeehouse is to showcase new talents and learn things from others, to actually get out of your comfort zone,” Sharma said.

“If we’re able to showcase everyone’s talents, then we’ll be able to get the community to bond together and have a good time.”

Interestingly enough, Sharma, Sanchez and Vemuri are considering making changes to other aspects of Coffeehouse besides the acts themselves, such as utilizing the lighting in the auditorium in creative ways.

Overall, Sharma hopes the three of them are able to influence future Coffeehouses by implementing some of their own ideas throughout the year.

“We want to influence Coffeehouses in the future by incorporating side acts and a more comedic aspect to keep interest up,” Sharma said.

ances in Slovakia.

“We actually have some teams in Slovakia that play American football,” Fronc said. “It’s starting to become pretty popular in Slovakia.” ··· As the host of Fronc, Mahowald knows that Fronc is going through a big transition in life. He feels confident, however, that Fronc will soon get used to life at the school.

“Right when you get here, it’s overwhelming,” Mahowald said. “His English is great, but it’s not flawless, so he always has to be focused to understand what’s going on. In a month or two, I think he’ll fit in great and have a lot of buddies, but transitions are tough, so he’s getting his bearings now and trying to find out where he needs to be.”

While Fronc certainly misses his home, he’s hoping to adapt well to his new life as a Texan.

“I miss friends and family in Slovakia, but not so much yet,” Fronc said. “It’s what makes me feel at home. I don’t feel so comfortable with English yet, but I’m learning.”

At a glance What

First Coffeehouse of the school year

When

Oct. 7, 7 p.m.

Where

Decherd Auditorium

• Story Dylan Liu, Tianming Xie Photo Rohit Vemuri

The bottom line Teachers abroad

‘

The situation

From taking an oath to receive a simple library card for the Bodleian Library to standing in the Kensington Palace in the exact spot Queen Victoria learned she was appointed as queen, teachers traveled around the world this summer, gaining inspiration from all corners of the world: • Holtberg Master Teaching Chair Scott Hunt, along with interim Assistant Head of Middle School Jason Lange, Athletic Director Mark Sullivan and receptionist Sherri Sullivan, went to Bhutan with photography students. (See pg. 20 for photostory)

The thing that I love about my summer course is that I actually love what I’m reading.

And that doesn’t always happen when you are in school because you are assigned reading. I chose the English course that I am taking because I like to read Black literature.

Meagan Frazier, humanities instructor

‘

There’s one mountain road that kind of winds through the country, and significant rain had caused some landslides.

So, we literally sat on the road for a few hours while the backhoes and bulldozers dug it out so that we can pass.

Jason Lange, interim assistant head of Middle School

• Seventh grade humanities instructor Meagan Frazier studied African American narratives at Oxford.

• Biology instructor Nupur Israni traveled to Spain and London to track hemophilia in Queen Victoria’s bloodline.

• Choirmaster Tinsley Silcox took the choir group all over Great Britain.

These are just some of the many teachers who traveled abroad to soak in the history of the many different cultures in the world.

‘

I think that if students get a person behind the story, they get a better perspective — a more interesting context — as opposed to just telling them to just learn a bunch of facts about the disease, which in this case is hemophilia.

Nupur Israni, biology instructor

‘

To stand in Westminster Abbey where the choirmasters have conducted during the coronation of kings and queens, during weddings of the royal family, you just can’t put a price on that experience.

Tinsley Silcox, choirmaster

Page 16 • The ReMarker • September 22, 2017 • Perspectives

HOPE AFTER HARVE

27 trillion gallons of rain. Entire port cities wiped out of existence. Across the state, Texans w

12:04

2 1

3 4

5 6

7

9

10

8

1

Will McNutt ’07 briefs his team before a rescue mission. McNutt served as a liason to Task Force Central near Katy, TX and oversaw countless rescue missions.

2

A Houston homeowner’s attempt to ward off thiefs during the floods. Looting was a real problem throughout the entire storm and evacuation.

3

Victims of the floods join hands with servicemen and pray in the parking lot of Katy High School in Katy, TX.

4

The doors of a shelter on Walnut Hill Ln. in Dallas, TX where over 300 refugees from Houston are being held. The American Red Cross is stationed there.

5

Two military vehicles powering their way through the flood water on Interstate 10, a major interstate that runs through Houston.

6

A serviceman pulls a Zodiac boatfulled with supplies and gear through the knee-high water. There were hundreds of people deployed to Houston to help.

7

Texas State Guard members organize supplies for rescue missions. The small Jon boats in the bottom left were donated by an executive at Bass Pro Shops.

8

A mobile pharmacy stationed at the shelter in Dallas to provide medical care for refugees affected by Hurricane Harvey.

9

The Texas flag proudly positioned above staging area for rescue missions.

There is an overwhelming amount of unity stemming from the hurricane.

11

a.m. August 30, 2017.

Forty-eight men, 51 women and 203 children lay packed into the Walnut Hill Recreation Center’s hard cement floor like sardines.

Their houses eight feet underwater, their confidence, their lives just as dampened, moms and dads hush their children’s anxious questions.

Donated hunting cots creak and old sleeping bags crinkle as the elderly toss, turn, hack, and cough. ¡Dios … mío!

A woman’s scream – between rapid-fire, heavy huffs and puffs – pierces the cacophony of noises enveloping the room.

She’s going into labor!

And Susan Kast, the 67-yearold grandmother of seven and volunteer leader with the Dallas Community Emergency Response Team, has absolutely no idea what to do.

As 130 mph winds whip at schools, churches and homes along the Gulf Coast, incomplete families – some leaving parents or children or pets behind – desperately flee Harvey’s path, pushing past gridlocked superhighways and cars flipped by the rushing storm surge. With first floors of entire neighborhoods flooded, these Texan refugees have turned to friends, family, hotels, even furniture stores across the state for shelter.

But for those along the Gulf that have no family nearby, who can’t afford a hotel, who can barely even speak English, where can they take shelter?

For the 5,753 victims of Hurricane Harvey with nowhere to turn, Dallas-area rec centers, convention centers, and churches have become safe havens away from the horrors of destroyed neighborhoods and houses swept clean off their foundations.

“You have no idea what the magnitude of the devastation is for each and every one of these human beings,” Kast told The ReMarker during one of her back-to-back 12hour volunteer shifts at the makeshift shelter at the Walnut Hill Recreation Center. “All we can do is try, try as hard as we can to make a difference.”

The recreation center, its basketball court turned into a bedroom for 301 displaced Texans, has united both refugees and volunteers, pulling in volunteers, donations, and services from across the greater Dallas area.

A blue 18-wheeler trailer – Kroger’s free “mobile pharmacy” for the victims – sits in front of the one story building. Children play soccer decked out in GameStop t-shirts, Dallas Mavericks jerseys and Texas Rangers hats – all donated by local businesses and companies. Restaurants donate meals, and Good Shepherd Episcopal Church shows Star Wars for anyone who can’t

at G coff det dia

ter:

din neig bein neig crea

a pr coo hea Wa

des in t tim picn

nee

oth

the que and

dur she chil

and giv enjo

from ded on

ens Wil

ion a lia

den

Displaced St. John’s Schoo

by Mike Mahowald fter only two days of classes, Drew Woodfolk learned he would not be able to experience the early senior year traditions at St. John’s School. He couldn’t go to class, he couldn’t see his friends, he couldn’t even stay in the city.

The cross country routine he hoped to continue was quickly deleted, and the storm was projected as getting worse in the next week.

Along with more than 160 school districts in coastal Texas, St. John’s School was shut down indefinitely in late August due to the devastating damage of Hurricane Harvey. 1,389 students from grades K-12 were sent home to board their windows and say their prayers.

But Woodfolk was lucky to have family residing in Dallas. His parents made the decision to spend the week up here, living with an aunt on Oak Lawn and waiting out the storm that has already displaced thousands and thou-

A

boat into a military vehicle. Everyone worked together during the rescue effort.

Arnold E. Holtberg Master Teaching Chair Scott Hunt in his National Guard uniform after being deployed to San Antonio to help.

insi shir jum env

• Story Davis Bailey, Rett Daugbjerg, Mike Mahowald, Zach

10 A Texas State Guardsman, Marine and Army National Guardsman lift a Zodiac 11

tak

ENDURANCE Emmett Berger (left), Andres Arroyo (middle) and Drew Woodfolk (right) go on an early morning run.

Perspectives • September 22, 2017 • The ReMarker • Page 17

EY

work to rebuild and come together stronger than ever before.

ke the boredom of another night in the shelter.

Parting the crowds of exhausted, bored children to get ide the shelter, a bald man wearing a black long-sleeved rt and reverend’s collar gets swarmed with high-fives and mping children – excited to see a familiar face in the foreign vironment.

Father Matt! Father Matt! Excited for Star Wars?

You know it, Adriana!

Deacon Matthew Burdette, Student Ministry Director Good Shepherd Episcopal School, has been bringing hot ffee and hope to the shelter on Walnut Hill for a week. Burtte’s given up almost every hour of his free time bringing apers, leading prayer circles and serving dinner.

When asked why he’s spent so much time at the shel: “That’s the wrong question,” he says. “This is my ornation vow. This is my baptismal vow. I seek to love my ghbor as myself and uphold the dignity of every human ng. This is about human dignity. This is about loving our ghbors as ourselves. That’s what we are called to do as atures, whether or not we recognize it.”

After thrusting open the double doors with both hands, rocession of children – hyperactive from the hours spent oped up in the shelter – bustles and trails behind Burdette, aded across the street to Good Shepherd to watch Star ars.

These children — frozen in a shelter for a full week — sperately cling to any semblance of a routine they can find their disrupted lives. They all brush their teeth at the same me – 9 a.m. sharp. The children commandeer a local park’s nic tables as their every-night dinner table.

“Normalcy,” Burdette says. “It’s kids of all ages that just ed normalcy.”

As normal as sleeping on the floor of a room with 301 her people can be.

The shelter employees and volunteers do everything in eir power to keep the children from asking the “what next” estions. What happens to the schools? The houses? The pets d people left behind? Some will have to move, have to start over somewhere else – and the parents know it.

Will McNutt ’07 To give the parents some Task Force Central liaison escape from curious, concerned children, Good Shepherd has opened up its doors ring the school day to any displaced children staying at the elter. Starting at 10:00 a.m., the school busses more than 50 ldren over for classes during the day.

“Usually, I get here around the time they get onto busses d I see them off,” Burdette said. “The things that God has ven to us are not given to us for us to simply hoard and oy. Every gift is a responsibility.”

Although making landfall more than 200 miles away m Dallas, Harvey has united the city. Dallas natives have dicated themselves to supporting victims both at home and the coast.

August 26, 2017.

Assessing the damages, flood levels and rescue calls, dozs of servicemen gather in the library at Katy High School. ll McNutt ’07 finds himself in the middle of it all.

Serving in the Texas State Guard as part of the 3rd battaln Texas Maritime Regiment (TMAR), McNutt is assigned as aison to Task Force Central, headquartered in the library.

The main telephone number for the Task Force is accintally published, incoming calls are almost as constant

and heavy as the rain outside. People are stranded and need rescuing, and McNutt is the man tasked with organizing it all.

“There was no time to just soak in the moment,” McNutt said. “Instead, there were just so many calls from both people who wanted to help and then people who needed help. It was just one after another after another. There was no time for analysis, we have to move as fast as we could.”

They had a system. Rescues were launched from a dry overpass on I-10. Like a scene from a war movie, boats, military vehicles and Black Hawk helicopters sat atop the highway waiting for people stranded in homes, cars and rushing water to return from being rescued. From there, rescuees were airlifted to safety in the helicopters.

• ‘I saw every Servicemen from the United States end of the Marine Corps, the National Guard of the spectrum from people who were United States and the Texas State Guard devastated to came together in the rescue effort. McNutt people who were organized the entities flawlessly, sending just happy we hundreds of rescue teams to hundreds of were there.’

Will McNutt different locations.

“The biggest sign of unity I saw was the way that all the different groups, different entities, different contingencies, put all the stuff about their units aside, and their primary focus was how to get things done and get people safe,” McNutt told the ReMarker shortly after he returned from Houston.

Sprawling across Katy High School, the tired and wet servicemen were supported fully by the Katy community.

Donations of Jon boats and pillows both increased the carrying capacity of each mission, as well as made their stay in the high school more comfortable.

“We were all over the place. Every gym, every hallway, every classroom, there were men in sleeping bags,” McNutt said. “The community came to the high school with hundreds of pillows, everyone went into their closet and grabbed their extras and dumped them at the high school. There was a lot of ‘come together’ between civilians and military. We towed the Jon boats behind our zodiacs and they doubled our capacity. It was a huge force multiplier for us.”

In just three days, McNutt had organized and executed a whopping 1,308 successful rescue missions. Once going 76 hours with little to no sleep, his tireless determination, resourcefulness and grit saved many lives.

“During my time in Houston, I observed some of the most outstanding, non-stop hustle from everybody around me. Everyone around me, including myself, worked on little to no sleep.”

Before serving in the Texas State Guard, McNutt studied in Arnold E. Holtberg Master Teaching Chair Scott Hunt’s photography class. Hunt, just like his former student, was activated as part of the relief effort on the Gulf Coast.

September 24, 2017.

Scott Hunt was called to help with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. Hunt is a reserve for the Texas State Guard (TXSG).

He received a call the day before landfall, and was in San Antonio and Austin for 12 days.

The call came in the middle of the school year, and as a photography instructor, Hunt had to spend nearly two weeks away from teaching.

“My initial thought was that this couldn’t come at a worse time,” Hunt said. “I was just wrapping my head around the fact that this was something that I trained for, and while it was an inconvenience, there was a duty to uphold.”

Hunt served as the state guard liaison officer for Task Force South (TFS), explaining rescue missions and anticipat-

ing future needs for the task force.

“As liaison, I explained to the Task Force commander what state guard missions were in his area of operations so that he had a full understanding of what assets were in his battlefield,” Hunt said.

He also had a secondary role as a part of the Evacuee Tracking Network (ETN), a registration system where the people who are evacuated on state assets and take refuge in shelters are given a wristband with a barcode. This assists them in reconnecting with others who were separated, along with helping monitor the flow of evacuees in shelters.

“I had more tasking purpose when I was running the command mission of the ETN teams. It was about 31 hours of solid working and getting those teams out into the field where they can help people and get them out of the impact area.

That was pretty exciting,” Hunt said.

Hunt arrived at the Tactical Emergencies Operations Center (TEOC) in Austin the morning of Sept. 25, and he immediately noticed the ambiance of the place. “[There were] a lot of moving pieces,” Hunt said. “ I was only there for a few hours getting my instructions [and] there was quite a bit of energy.”

After receiving instructions, Hunt headed down to San Antonio that afternoon to a staging area for first responders.

“I was absolutely overwhelmed by the number of first responders that were already staged in a place,” Hunt said.

“There were literally thousands of first responders. There were search-and-rescue teams from literally all over the country.”

After serving for the ETN, Hunt inspected a number of different shelters in both New Braunfels and San Antonio.

“It was heart-wrenching,” Hunt said. “You’d see a lot of people who typically didn’t have the ability to evacuate themselves, a lot of people with special needs or handicapped.”

One thing Hunt can’t forget was the luggage of the refugees.

“Everyone’s luggage was in the form of a big Hefty bag,” Hunt said.

While Hunt was never sent into the impact areas of the Hurricane, he heard from others who did have first-hand experience.

“There’s no question that from what I heard from them, it was pretty bad,” Hunt said. “There were things that those guys saw and had to do that were not pleasant.”

Some cities along the Texas coastline, like Rockport, were completely devastated.

“The city of Rockport looked like a bomb had gone off,” Hunt said. “[There were] lots of things you don’t think about.

There’s so much road debris. The things that were happening and the efforts that people were making were really phenomenal.”

According to Hunt, all rescues of any kind were kept on record. They even reported rescuing five bunnies back to the TEOC in Austin.

“The point is that there was no life that was too small not to rescue or not to report,” Hunt said. “These state guards are going to do whatever it takes to save lives and people’s pets.

It was heart-warming.”

For Hunt, seeing the relief efforts and collaboration occurring in Texas were eye-opening.

“It was truly a one-team, one-mission effort,” Hunt said.

“People came together and did things that defied what everyone else in the country was doing and defied what the media was saying about the country. It was the kind of thing that would just about bring you to tears.”

Landry Photos courtesy Scott Hunt, Will McNutt, Kobe Roseman, John Frost

ol runner trains with Lions cross country team after hurricane disrupts his school

-

9

sands of Texas citizens.

Dallas gave him an opportunity to continue pursuing the thing he loved: cross country.

And St. Mark’s afforded him a place to do it. St. John’s head cross country coach Richie Mercado has come to be familiar with the cross country program here, befriending head cross country coach John Turek after competing in the same conference for twenty years. Woodfolk got into contact with the school, and Turek welcomed him with open arms.

For the next week, he showed up for cross country training at 4 p.m. sharp, training with the exact athletes he would be competing against during the SPC Championships at Athletic Performance Ranch in November. Many of his teammates were not as fortunate.

“A lot of my other teammates back home had to wait for breaks in between rain storms and run abbreviated workouts mostly on their own,” he said.

Back in Houston, just getting outdoors was a difficult task. The storm slapped the city with a ferocity unprecedented since the deadly Hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans in 2005.

But Woodfolk feels the city is up to the task.

“As a city we are coming together like never before to help each other through this difficult time,” he said. “People in our community are doing literally everything in their power to lend a helping hand to neighbor they may have never even met in their life.”

Being away from his city for such a devastating week was hard on Woodfolk. He was grateful to be able to train in an SPC environment, but he knew there were people in his very own school community struggling to keep their lives together.

“It brought us even closer together as a school community,” Woodfolk said. “There are a fair amount of students and teachers who have severe water damage in their homes and

have a long way to go in terms of return to a normal life, but our St. John’s community has come together remarkably well to make life as normal as possible for those displaced and affected the most.”

Now, the cross country athlete is back in Houston, preparing for a busy senior year and a competitive cross country season. But all of this takes second priority behind the disaster Hurricane Harvey left in its wake.

“My experience living in Dallas for the week was both a happy and heart breaking experience,” he said. “On one hand I was glad to be able to run with a team every day and keep up my fitness levels for cross country.

On the other hand it hurt so bad to turn on the TV each day and see what my city was going through. Although I loved my time in Dallas, I couldn’t wait to get back to Houston and begin to help bring the city that I love so much back to normal.”

How you can help Give money

Text Harvey to 90999 to make a direct $10 donation to The American Red Cross.

Give time

St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Store has community service programs for Harvey relief. Learn more on x2vol.co

Give clothing:

Through our clothing drive or direct donations to St. Vincent DePaul, donate much need clothes.

Page 18 • The ReMarker • September 22, 2017 • Life

PIXELS OR PAPER? Note taking

A recent study determined that handwritten notes lead to better comprehension.

That poses an interesting question: should we be allowed to use laptops in class?

S

tudents enter the classroom and gather around the Harkness table to prepare for their English class, pulling class materials out of their backpacks. Books. Journals.

Binders. ​Despite the continuous integration of technology into everyday life, none of the class materials on the table include laptops. Instead, the table is covered with an array of pens and papers.

English instructor Curtis Smith does not allow students to use their computers to take notes because he sees classtime as an opportunity for discussion, where students determine and process what information is noteworthy. Smith values the benefit of handwritten notes and disapproves of the quiet, disconnected environment that laptops promote.

“My biggest fear is that the school has spent a pretty penny on constructing these Harkness tables whose principle is to allow us to look one another face to face and communicate that way,” Smith said. “Your laptop is a shroud in front of you in which you’re burying your face into a machine.”

Smith isn’t the only teacher concerned about using laptops in a classroom setting. Director of Counseling Barbara Van Drie expresses that the effectiveness of a laptop falls to the diligence of the student.

“I think it’s a tool, just like pencil and paper. A student who doesn’t use it that way has no use for [laptops],” Van Drie said. “I think a good teacher can tell if a student is attentive or not, or if a student is engaged in the class.”

Additionally, Smith believes students are not using computers to take notes for the whole 45 minutes of class.

“I would bet my last dollar that most of the time students are using those not to take notes, but to go back and forth on other sites that are not relevant to what’s on hand,” Smith said. “People fascinated with technology make the mistake of making items I think are luxurious into essentials.”

Pam A. Mueller of Princeton University and Daniel M. Oppenheimer of the University of California conducted a study of comparing taking notes by hand versus by computer. They chose university students and asked them to take notes on TED talks, with one group using computers and one group

using pen and pencil.

Surprisingly, the results showed that on factual questions both performed almost equally. However, on the more analytical questions, the computer group performed noticeably worse. ​History instructor Michele Santosuosso doesn’t directly promote the use of laptops in her classes as a means of synthesizing and efficiently taking notes. However, she understands that when students become inattentive to the lecture, they should not be allowed the privilege of computer. ​“I think it’s really hard for a human – not a kid, not a high school kid, not a boy or a girl – for any human, it’s difficult to have this device in front of you and stay 100 percent focused,” Santosuosso said. “So yes, there are students in my class that mess around on the computer. I guess it’s kind of obvious, you know when the eyes go dull and there’s colors or they’re smiling, like, ‘I’m not that funny.”

Because she supports both kinds

of note taking strategies, Santosuosso allows students to take notes tailored to how they best learn, whether it’s on laptop or paper. She encourages handwritten notes, but understands that students learn in different ways and tries to accommodate every student’s strengths and weaknesses into her teaching style.

“Although I still think that handwriting is better than typing, I’ve had students that will type verbatim what I say or what their peers say,” Santosuosso said. “They can memorize it.

• “Logically, you can So, for them, yes, it would be a type faster than you disadvantage if can write. However, when it comes to I took away the writing and the actual laptop. I do think act of thinking about it’s on a personal something, writing it basis. Again, down, again, I think outweighs speed.” that’s why I don’t History instructor ban the laptop, Michelle Santosuosso but if someone is constantly getting D’s or C’s, that’s when I might have the conversation of ‘let’s consider doing it a different way.’”

Junior Joshua Kang thinks taking notes using a computer helps him compile study guides, which saves a lot of time in preparation for tests and final exams.

• Story Matthew Zhang, Eric Hirschbrich Photo Riley Sanders

TAPPING AWAY As more students than ever are using computers to take notes, teachers are concerned about how beneficial these devices really are.

“I think when you have hoursworth of notes in one location, like on a desktop or in a file, it makes finding notes way easier,” Kang said. “I learn better when I’m writing it on the computer because of programs like Quizlet where you keep typing it out, I think I retain it better.”

Kang also points out that because technology continues to advance, learning to control what students do on their computers stands at the forefront of managing studies. Self-control is not only necessary to succeed at our school, but also in the future.

“I think at a certain point you can’t just keep holding the hands of high schoolers,” Kang said. “I think from tenth grade on, students know the consequences of missing notes in class because of playing video games and stuff like that.”

What students say

43% • HAND • LAPTOP

prefer taking notes by hand

140

more words written on average using laptops versus by hand Source: poll, 143 Upper School students

Life • September 22, 2017 • The ReMarker • Page 19

LIBRARY GOES ZONE DEFENSE The breakdown

Director of Libraries and Information Services Tinsley Silcox comes up with a zoning plan to tackle a changing student dynamic.

F

rom drawing up zone defenses on the playing fields to learning zone coverage on the court, who ever knew that zones would be used in the student workplace, the library?

Director of Libraries and Information Services Tinsley Silcox, the mastermind behind the new zone system, got the idea of a big change after considering the altering student dynamic.

“When I grew up, we had study carrels with walls on either side like nobody was there,” Silcox said. “All I had to do was focus on my work.”

In fact, no one was even allowed to talk or communicate in the library.

“This library had a desk in the middle of the floor, and every day faculty members were assigned to sit at that desk to monitor everybody and to make sure no one was speaking in the library,” Silcox said.

However, Silcox recognizes that many students work differently nowadays.

“People like to study in groups, they like to do group projects,” Silcox said. “They like to talk about things and come to conclusions as a group.”

In an attempt to adapt to the changing student interaction, Silcox faced one major obstacle: the building, which was designed for quiet, uninterrupted study.

“We have people who want

DO STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THE NEW LIBRARY SYSTEM? YES 38%

NO 62% Polled from 100 students

A NEW LOOK Taking advantage of the new space, students

converse and work together in an environment conducive to collaborative work and conversation.

to study in absolute silence,” Silcox said. “We have people who want to sit in small groups and discuss what they’re working on, and we have people who want to have a space where they can converse and have a lively debate.”

Ultimately, Silcox created different zones to compensate for different students’ studying needs.

“People for the most part want to be able to study in groups,” Silcox said. “In the library, we wanted to be able to facilitate that.”

Similarly, librarian Cinda Thoma wanted to address the issues that needed fixing from last year.

Library staffers are aware of the fact that students don’t necessarily work quietly, and certain assignments from teachers require open discussion. The zones are an attempt at getting with the times.

“The boys need more space for concentrated study, so we can now offer them various places where they can have quiet study, quiet discussion, lively discussion, quiet whisper and silent study,” Thoma said. “We just feel like the zones help the boys gravitate towards those places in a library where they can go either for collaborative study or quiet study.”

Thoma says the new system is working very well.

“It’s a little more difficult to maintain the parameters during lunch,” Thoma said, “but I think it’s working beautifully the rest of the day for people who really need the space.”

Also teaching classes in the library for Middle and Upper

PUZZLE PIECES In place of the old couches, Silcox ordered six modular study tables meant for quiet discussion.

Schoolers, Thoma thinks the new system makes a difference for her classes.

“I could teach my classes without having to step back into a room and remind the guys to be quiet,” Thoma said. “They were very respectful of the fact that there are so many different ways of using the space that we have, and that helps me. I can really focus on the needs of my class instead of discipline.”

However, Thoma believes students need to understand the new library zone system for it to work even more efficiently in the future.

“I think it’s a gradual process. It takes some time to figure out those changes,” Thoma said. “I think boys resist change sometimes, but I think that as we get further along in the year they are really going to appreciate the fact that if they are talking too loudly in one space, we aren’t kicking them out of the library.

We are just going to offer them another space in which to do collaborative work.”

Zoning out: finding the right zone for you Zone location Noise level

1

2

Students speak I know what the zones are but not where they are in the library because it isn’t labeled — eighth-grad-

er Austin Williams

I don’t think it’s very effective. I think a lot of students just make a mockery of it. — junior Landon Wood I think it’s a very good division of studying.— freshman Blake Hudspeth The new library zones don’t really mean much to me. I just ignore them and do work as I usually do.— senior Alan Jiang I went to the library yesterday and it was the same as normal. Loud kids were loud, and everyone else was the same. — sophomore Andres

Arroyo

I don’t think it really changed anything. Those rules had already been set up for several years, because what’s the point of putting up a sign if everybody knows the rules. — sophomore Justin Kim

STUDENTS’ OPINION: BETTER OR WORSE

3

4

Computer research room

Academic study tables and MS reading room

Modular study tables

“Silent study”

“Quiet whisper”

“Quiet discussion”

Library classroom “Lively discussion”

24% 68% 8%

better than before

makes no difference

worse than before

Polled from 25 students

• Story Sam Ahmed, Albert Luo Photos Riley Sanders

Student Council introduces Homecoming Spirit Week for Oct. 16-20

by Eric Hirschbrich ormally, if someone was to glance over at the student section of the bleachers at a sporting event, he or she would only see friends of the players and students known for school spirit. However, recently, the bleachers of sporting events have been filled with students like never before. This is in part due to the new spirit competition dreamt up by Student Council President Canyon Kyle.

On Aug. 25, Kyle announced the beginning of the spirit competition, an Upper School-wide competition that pits all four classes against each other to see which grade can show its spirit for the school the most.

N

“The purpose of the competition [is] to get more people involved and unify the high school in general. It [is] a way to get more kids going to high school events, whether it’s the play, coffeehouse, football games or any athletic event and have a purpose for all of it,” Kyle said.

Whichever class has the greatest number of people at sporting events throughout the year will be crowned as the school spirit champion for the 2017-2018 year.

While it might seem easy to just show up to the popular fall football games and cheer, Student Council Sponsor Casey Gendason mentions the competition lasts throughout the entire year.

“The Student Council has decided

that to maintain the level of spirit that we see during the fall,” Gendason said, “they wanted to offer incentives throughout the year for each class to compete in a friendly manner as to who can have the highest attendance at all sporting events.”

According to Kyle, the spirit competition is unprecedented in its scale.

Despite the competition being in its early stages, grades have been responsive to the competition, attendance at sporting events has been bolstered by a fair amount and best of all, the school has seen one of the most dedicated school student bodies in a while.

“I think thats why [the competition is] such a cool first thing ever kind of thing

because for the first time, people [think], ‘there’s a reason for me to come to the game.’” Kyle said, “There’s a reason to want to win at pep rallies or assemblies, there’s a reason to get super hyped and want to do things.”

Homecoming Schedule Homecoming Game against Fort Worth Country Day

Oct. 21

Oct. 20 Homecoming Dance

Page 20 • The ReMarker • September 22, 2017 • Life

BHUTAN Lookbook

1

• Photos Riley Sanders, Chris McElhaney

It’s known as the Kingdom of Gross National Happiness — and for Arnold Holtberg Master Teacher Scott Hunt and his students, it was definitely that. Hunt and his 15 photographers stayed 14 days, from late June to early July.

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

1. SUMMIT SERVICES A monk relaxes in front of one of Bhutan’s many mountains. Bhutan features several of the highest peaks in Asia, including the Gangkhar Puensum, which are considered sacred by monks and other holy men.

2. TECHNOLOGICAL EXCHANGE Three photographers, seniors Ryan Norman (foreground), Houston Engleman (right) and junior Kyle Smith (left) show local children cameras. Bhutan’s picturesque landscape makes it attractive to tourists.

3. TIRE CHILD While a Bridgestone tire may seem out of place in the grassy terrain, this child makes the most of the seats available. Bhutan recently reveresed a tax on vehicle imports that had previously angered many citizens of the country.

4. THE BARBERSHOP Junior Kyle Smith takes a turn in a fluorescently lit, two-seat Bhutanese barber shop, run by a pair of local men. Men like these two often own family businesses and know their customers personally.

5. RIVER CROSSERS The group of photographers trekked across Bhutan, most of which is straddled by bridges, allowing locals to cross over at will. Many bridges were constructed in the last decade as Bhutan expanded economically.

6. DOG DAYS Bhutan is home to many of the largest and oldest dog breeds in the world. The country recently embarked on a program to rescue and care for stray dogs, completed in 2013, which succesfully contained and investigated Bhutan’s large dog population.

7. CERAMIC CARVER While in the past pottery was nurtured and grown in Bhutan, the craft has faced a steep decline as outside imports have trumped any profits of personal creation or exportation. Many Bhutanese still practice pottery in their spare time to keep the art alive.

8. RAINY AFTERNOON Bhutan, like other Asian countries, has a mild climate featuring rain nearly year around, especially in the summer, when the program visited. Children like this one have grown to embrace the stormy weather indispensable to mainting Bhutan’s fertility and arability.

Life • September 22, 2017 • The ReMarker • Page 21

BUZZ

SUSHI GRADE

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

In this issue: sushi, music

For a high school student, sushi seems like an out-of-budget food, an unnecessary luxury. So, we compared three restaurants at drastically different price points. Here’s what we discovered.

• Reviews Austin Montgomery.

Photos Austin Montgomery, Davis Bailey.

Kotta Sushi $$$$ • Grade A

A

h, sushi. As a popular choice for dates, Orient-oriented foodies, and people who like to pretend they’re more cultured than they are, this Japanese export has firmly staked its claim in the culinary landscape, and it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere soon.

It has a rich history to it, and is one of the staple foods of culture. Only continuing to rise in popularity, sushi seems to become more and more common throughout the world, and we haven’t ignored its rise.

But where is the best place for the sushi-loving Dallasite with some cash to get their fix? We decided to find out.

A relative newcomer on the sushi scene, Kotta (pronounced coat-a), takes pride in its fresh seafood. They’re so proud, in fact, that they decided to charge $15 a roll. This is unfortunate, but understandable—were the price any lower, they’d run out of food within an hour. Kotta is sushi at its finest—the chefs prepare the food with lighting speed right in front of you, serving their creations with a smile and a bow.

There’s a massive variety of seafood—eel, crab and snapper abound, along with westernized versions of sushi like the Shawnee

trail, which features an ensemble of cooked beef, red onion, jalapeno, cream cheese and cilantro with spicy sauce. Regardless of how you like your fish—raw sashimi traditional rolls, or fried tempura—Kotta has something

Tiger Roll

for you.

Kotta boasts a hidden menu of sorts (ask for the White Tiger roll), and their signature sauce, served on their Jackie Chan roll, is nothing short of addictive. It doesn’t get much better than this—but bring your wallet.

6959 Lebanon Road, Frisco

Sushi Shack $ • Grade B

N

ow, I know what you’re probably thinking—“But Austin, I’m just a teenager! And in typical teenage fashion, I am broke!” Well fear not, dear reader, I am also broke.

And as such, I’ve also explored options for the Marksman who has spent all his funds on Supreme headbands, and is unable and/or unwilling to hand over $30 for his raw fish.

The foremost of these establishments is Sushi Shack, a family-owned Plano joint with an all-you-can-eat deal that allows you to scarf down roll after roll until the chefs are giving you dirty looks and not-so-subtly nudging you towards the desserts.

The interior is simple, but then again, you’re not there for the decor.

What makes the Shack truly great is it offers all of the benefits of an all-youcan-eat buffet without sacrificing any of the freshness typically associated

with sushi.

The $10 lunch special gets you unlimited sushi and appetizers all made to order—it’s not necessarily gourmet, but it’s more than worth a sawbuck.

One disadvantage, however, is the all-you-can-eat deal is bumped up to $20 for dinner (albeit with significantly more options), so if you truly want to game the system, you should get in before the clock strikes 4 p.m.

Interestingly enough, the strongest parts of the menu are non-sushi items — the tempura calamari is a must-have, as is the bottomless miso soup.

Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone either. California rolls are good and well, but you’re missing out if you don’t try some of the Shack’s specialties.

3291 Independence Parkway, Plano

Little Katana $$ • Grade B+

I

know, this is a sushi page. But I’m going to break my own rules for a moment, because some sushi-specializing restaurants find their other offerings—some traditional Japanese items, some western—eclipsing their signature seafood.

Little Katana is one such restaurant, serving up unparalleled renditions of traditional Japanese entrees. This trait has allowed Shrimp Tempura Roll it to stand above the crowd, in an increasingly crowded sushi market.

The Hot Stone Bowl, a mountain of siz-

zling rice served with fried egg, fresh vegetables, your choice of meat and subtly spicy sauce, would be my personal recommendation, though for those that have jettisoned carbohydrates, the Wagyu Hot Rock, a platter of thinly sliced beef so tender it melts in your mouth, is an excellent option.

For appetizers, do yourself a favor and try the Steamed Buns. Other bright spots include the old Japanese standby Ton Katsu, a fried pork chop served with Asian slaw, and any of the noodle-based dishes, which can come with or without meat.

Traditional sushi is there, and it’s pretty good—though it still stews in the shadow of its rival, Kotta. But for those seeking a taste of true Japanese comfort food, Little Katana should be your first and only stop.

4525 Cole, No. 110, Dallas

California Roll

The sound of music

With release of two singles, Taylor Swift definitely didn’t need to Begin Again

by Davis Bailey aylor Swift’s newest two songs, “Look What You Made Me Do” and “...Ready For It?,” both evocative of rival Katy Perry’s attempts at capitalizing on modern hip-hop’s market share, released to mixed reviews from die-hard fans and critics alike.

For 1035 days — the longest release drought in Swift history — self-proclaimed “Swifties” twiddled their thumbs to 2006’s teen-country-romance, “Our Song,” or jammed out to 2014’s pop ballad, “Bad Blood.”

That is until Swift’s self-reinventing release campaign leading up to her sixth album, Reputation.

Instead of embracing her country roots or vibrant pop successes, Swift and her PR team instead let strange, serpentine clues trickle out over a week. Swift adopted a “#snake” mantra, a deliberately unorthodox choice to commandeer a

T

hashtag distinctly emblematic of her Kim Kardashian feud — the biggest scandal of Swift’s career.

Creative Commons photo

So when Swift dropped “Look What You Made Me Do” online, millions of listeners held their collective breath as they clicked play buttons on Spotify, iTunes, and Apple Music. Within the first six seconds of the song, Swift trades her soft

guitar strumming melodies and “millennial whoop” for a jarring, electronic seven-note tune.

She ditches her bread and butter listenability and lyrical story telling for a halfblood electroclash-pop track that leaves the listener feeling off-balance. Un-Swiftlike moans and strangely sexual screams populate the song’s background track, wordlessly setting up the song’s climax — declaring, not singing, that “old Taylor is dead.”

The utterly bizarre decision to then sample the beat from Right Said Fred’s 1992 “I’m Too Sexy” goes on to continue the jarring theme of the song. The peculiar appropriation of the “tubular” 90s hit forces the listener to hear Richard Fairbrass belting out “I’m too sexy for my shirt” instead of Swift’s “lyrics” of “Look what you made me do” repeated eight times.

Her second track “...Ready For It?,”

somehow finds a way depart even farther from the Swift of old. The minor-key song completely embraces an electronic, repetitive beat-track. She primarily relies on synths and drums to produce a baseline under her verses — lackluster attempts to rap that showcase her lack of comfort and her abandonment from her traditional and successful storytelling lyrics.

The initial chorus mimics the repeated melodic build-up distinct to her 2014 song “Wildest Dreams,” giving listeners a false whiff of a return to Swift’s pop era.

This build up and sense of hope is immediately trashed when the song devolves into slow bass beat that pull the emergency brake on the song’s rhythm.

Whether or not the two songs were attempts to rebrand the singer, address long-standing feuds or any mix of the two, one thing is for certain.

Taylor, we weren’t “Ready For It.”

Page 22 • The ReMarker • September 22, 2017 • Commentary Staff editorials

TOO MUCH WEIGHT PUT ON CLASS PARTICIPATION

Students in history and English classes may be doing A-level work, but when class participation is worth as much as 25 percent of the total grade, all that work could be for nil.

I

n recent years, many English and history classes here have made class participation a key factor in the grades that they give students.

Some teachers have even made the participation grade worth up to 25 percent of a student’s final grade.

While we understand participation is necessary and discussion is important in classes such as history and the languages, we believe it is wrong to place such a large emphasis on this portion of a student’s grade. There comes a point where the class participation is forced, becoming more detrimental than helpful to class discussion.

We believe the emphasis on class participation is a detriment to class in these ways: • Shy students — No two students are the same, especially when it comes to their personalities and willingness to speak up in class. While some students are more outgoing and contribute greatly to class discussions by naturally, for other students, it’s not so easy. Many students are naturally quieter than others, which proves to be extremely hurtful to their grade. These students are capable of doing the homework, but because they’re quieter by nature, they are given bad grades. Obviously, these students’ participation grades will lower their final grades, especially if 25 percent is based on class participation.

These students are unfairly punished for not having personalities as outgoing as some of their peers.

• Distracted teachers — To measure class discussion, some teachers use charts or diagrams that plot where each student is sitting around a Harkness table. Then, while the students discuss a topic, teachers record where the conversation goes by marking students’ names on their diagram or using a web-based method — drawing a web based on who talks when around the Harkness table. While useful to measure participation in theory, the diagrams in effect distract the teacher from engaging with his or her students. This ends up forcing them to focus on who’s talking, not what is being said.

• Forced competition — In addition to posing a disadvantage for naturally shy students and distracted teachers, having a class participation grade worth a quarter of the year-end grade forces an unnecessary amount of competition among students.

This school seeks to instill a sense of community in each of its classrooms, but when students are inter-

PARKING PROBLEMS

Finally!

A spot!

rupting one another, raising their voices and trying to present their own opinions on a matter instead of listening to those of other students, this sense of community weakens. After all, listening to others is a life skill and shows respect for one’s peers. If we seek to build the community through our Harkness discussions, then students should be open to hearing opposing viewpoints and opinions. However, when their grade is on the line, who can blame them for wanting to get an edge over their classmates?

• Irrelevant points made to strengthen grade — As well as forcing more competition within the classes, placing such an emphasis on class discussion encourages students to say whatever comes to their mind, oftentimes without having any forethought as to what they are going to say, so teachers will add a mark by their name.

These students make irrelevant or poorly thought out points in the discussion, which in turn detracts from the quality of the conversation. Placing less emphasis on class participation will lead to better, more thoughtful contributions to discussions by students, thereby enhancing the learning experience of teachers and students alike.

Discussion and participation in class are essential, especially in the English and history disciplines. But when too much of the Riley Sanders photo final grade of the class is placed on participation, we have to wonder if, in fact, it is more hurtful to students’ learning than helpful.

If teachers in these subjects hope to improve their class atmospheres and the overall contentment of their students, then we urge them to lower participation grades to a more moderate percentage.

We feel it is time for administrators and department chairs to meet to make a policy regarding a limit as to how much class participation can affect a student’s grade in any of his classes, not just in specific departments. We urge the faculty and administration to have this policy by the start of the 2019 school year.

If they adhere to this suggestion, classes will improve greatly both in fairness and in quality of content, benefiting both teachers and students alike.

Students need less lines, more food during fourth period lunch

keep Guess I’ullntil g in o g ot...

I find a sp

Due to long lines and small portions, students are not getting essential nutrients.

Senior

Mom Sen

Senior

Senio

r

ior Senior

KANNAN SHARMA, SAMMY SÁNCHEZ, MICHAEL LUKOWICZ

Senior

Finally...

Senior

Senio

r

Are you

kidding me?!

Mom

Senior

Senio

r

W

hile Sage Dining Services has done a great job preparing delicious and well-rounded meals, the beginning of fourth period lunch is purely chaos.

With 449 students currently enrolled in fourth period lunch, along with numerous faculty and staff members grabbing their lunch at the same time, it is nearly impossible for any student during this period to go back and get second servings of meals, as lines to get in the cafeteria extend all the way out of the great hall until close to 11:20 a.m.. This problem is heightened due to the fact that the third lunch line, which is largely empty the majority of the time, is strictly for lower school students, which leads to even longer lines in the two upper school lines.

To add to the problem, many of the servings are scarcely rationed to the students, leaving students very hungry after eating their first portion.

This mixture of small portions and seemingly never-ending lines makes it difficult for a student to get all of the food he needs to fill him up, leaving him without the energy he needs to power through the rest of the school day.

Since the energy and stamina we attain through lunch is vital for Marksmen trying to balance a full day of classes along with sports, this problem of insufficient amounts of food and the inability to obtain second dishes has become ever more urgent and crucial.

Something must be done to address this problem. We believe the third line should be opened to Middle and Upper School students after Lower School students have received their meals, as this would quicken the other two lines and allow for more students to receive more food.

Another way to solve this problem is to include more food in the first serving given to each student, lessening the need to return for seconds. These two simple solutions may make the lunch lines more efficient as well as better meeting the demands of the growing bodies of young men who engage in rigorous academic pursuits and some type of physical activity each day.

Allowing students in fourth period lunch to receive more of this healthy food Sage Dining Services has been serving will lead to a more energized and content student body.

REMARKER STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF ST. MARK’S SCHOOL OF TEXAS. 10600 PRESTON ROAD DALLAS, TEXAS 75230 214.346.8000 EDITOR IN CHIEF KOBE ROSEMAN

MANAGING EDITORS DAVIS BAILEY ZACH GILSTRAP

EXECUTIVE PAGE EDITOR MIKE MAHOWALD

ASSIGNMENTS EDITOR ANDRE ARSENAULT

CREATIVE DIRECTORS NAFTAL MAUTIA RETT DAUGBJERG

HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER RILEY SANDERS

ISSUES EDITOR BLAKE DAUGHERTY

COMMUNICATIONS EDITOR ALEC DEWAR

COMMENTARY EDITORS JIMMY RODRIGUEZ SAM SUSSMAN

SENIOR WRITER REECE RABIN

RESEARCH DIRECTORS ZOHEB KHAN NICK MALVEZZI

COPY EDITORS

MICHAEL LUKOWICZ SAM SHANE

PHOTO COORDINATOR OWEN BERGER

FOCUS EDITORS CJ CRAWFORD DUNCAN KIRSTEIN

LIFE EDITORS

SAHIT DENDEKURI MARK TAO

LIFE WRITERS SAM AHMED SAM GOLDFARB ERIC HIRSCHBACH DYLAN LIU ALBERT LUO TIANMING XIE MATTHEW ZHANG

NEWS EDITORS KAMAL MAMDANI LYLE OCHS

NEWS WRITERS

ANDY CROWE MATEO GUEVARA ISHAN GUPTA JAMES ROGERS SID VATTAMREDDY CHRISTOPHER WANG WALLACE WHITE

SPORTS EDITORS PARKER DAVIS CONNOR PIERCE

SPORTS WRITERS COLIN CAMPBELL JOSH DANIELS NATHAN HAN JAHAZIEL LOPEZ AARON THORNE NICK WALSH

SPORTS MAGAZINE EDITOR WILL FORBES

ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR ZACH LANDRY

REVIEWS SPECIALIST AUSTIN MONTGOMERY

ARTIST

MATTHEW COLEMAN

CARTOONISTS SAMMY SANCHEZ KANNAN SHARMA

BUSINESS MANAGER CARSON CROCKER

ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER PAXTON SCOTT

PHOTOGRAPHERS MATEO DIAZ JAYAN JOSHI CHASE HONAKER ADNAN KHAN CHRIS MCELHANEY RYAN MCCORD RYAN NORMAN KATHAN RAMNATH TUCKER RIBMAN CHARLIE RUBARTH LEE SCHLOSSER KYLE SMITH JAKE YARCKIN

MIDDLE SCHOOL LIAISON HENRY PICCAGLI

ADVISER

RAY WESTBROOK

ONLINE VIEWING.

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

READER INVOLVEMENT .

The ReMarker encourages reader input through letters, guest columns and story ideas. Contact the appropriate editor for submissions. Suggestions will be given due consideration for future publication. Letters should not exceed more than 300 words in length.

ADVERTISING.

Contact the business staff at 214.346.8145. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Inclusion of an ad is not an indication of an endorsement by The ReMarker, any of its staff members or faculty or staff members of St. Mark’s School of Texas.

DISTRIBUTION.

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

MEMBERSHIP.

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

Commentary • September 22, 2017 • The ReMarker • Page 23

Why you might see me walking in a bike helmet

How a senior changed my life — without even trying H

I

was the last alive.

In tackle sharks and minnows, that is.

Twenty-five other sixth-graders against me.

I heard the scream, “Go!” and I took off.

I remember darting right. Sidestepping left.

Juking out opponents.

But after that… I don’t remember anything.

••• I remember waking up, all the other kids forming a circle around me. A parent yelling — Give him some space!

I try to get up. A parent holds me down, proceeds to ask me a series of questions that don’t make sense to me.

“What’s your name?”

“Where were you born?”

“What’s the date?”

“Who’s the current president?”

I answer all of those questions slower than normal, but got them all right.

Next, he asks me the final question. The only one I get wrong.

“Where are you?”

I looked around. I know I’m in Dallas. I know the place is very familiar. I know I should know the name. But it escapes my mind.

They lead inside for a parent — luckily, a doctor — to take a look at me.

One look in my incredibly dilated eyes, and he breaks the news.

“You have, without a doubt in my mind, a bad concussion.”

Five weeks and eight IMPACT tests later — including several weeks alone in a dark room for the majority of the day — I’m finally cleared to begin learning and taking notes in class again.

But the effects of my concussion still follow me into the classroom.

My math grade drops from an A- to a B-.

My humanities grade drops from an A- to a B. I couldn’t stare at screens for an extended period of time without getting a headache.

The symptoms eventually went away, but the

e didn’t know who I was.

Roderick Demmings ‘12 was the happiest, brightest face on campus — in his signature gray sweatshirt, I would always see him waltz through the Centennial halls, his Sperrys clicking and clacking on the terracotta and blue tiled floor.

Lots of people knew who Roderick was. But it wasn’t until one Upper School Assembly where the school learned his story. On the stage in Decherd, around the time of the Gift Drive, Roderick spoke to the student body — and mouths opened in awe.

He spent a lot of his younger life in and out of foster homes, particularly Austin Street Shelter, through which he had his first St. Mark’s connection.

As fate may have it, a St. Mark’s family donated a toy keyboard to Austin Street through the Gift Drive, and that keyboard made its way to Roderick, allowing him to discover his natural talent for the piano, his virtuosic command of the ebony and ivory.

He translated that burning passion for music into everything he did on campus — and no matter if he shouted praises in the Gospel Choir, a group he founded, or had a conversation with an underclassman, Roderick left his mark.

He didn’t know who I was, but he helped me.

I was in the sixth grade and new here. Caught in Zach a tempest of confusion, Gilstrap Managing the halls were mazes, the editor seniors giants.

I sat at the long, stark white lunch table with a group of friends I met at orientation, and we talked about the usual — video games, NFL and video games, again.

We were all new to the school, naive 12-year-olds lost in the land of the Lions.

Roderick, donning his crisp, sky blue shirt, sat at the end of the same table with a small group of other titans.

He looked at us, smiled widely and made his way to sit next to us.

I still remember his words.

“Y’all must be new,” he said, our collective paralysis confirming his suspicions. “I’m Roderick. Y’all might not have asked for this, but here’s the guide to St. Mark’s.”

GRID

THE

Like an aged raconteur, Roderick sat in front of his theo-

‘

Word on the

STREET

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

Probably donating as much food and water as they can, but most importantly trying to spread the word around to use boats and anything they have to go to Houston and save as many people as possible.

Rahul Banerjee freshman

BAFFLING

Spirit parties at school

Once again, spirit parties will be held at the school, which is resulting in a negative turnout. Students feel too closely monitored to enjoy themselves when they are at a spirit party at school, which is killing the vibes and the participation of the students.

Our opinions on what’s going on around campus, all in one place.

NOTICED Sage Dining Services

Portable science classrooms While still not the same as having class in a legitimate concrete building, the new portable science have functioned satisfactorily. Of course, the portables are only for a limited period of time, and we look forward to being able to use the new Winn Science Center in the coming years.

High School Cup Student Council President Canyon Kyle’s idea of having the “High School Cup” has revitalized the fan sections for varsity sports and unified the Upper School.

Because each grade yearns to earn points for its class, the turnout for competitions has catapulted compared to previous years, resulting in higher school morale and team spirit.

Senior Lounge noise

Parents parking in student spaces

Finding parking spaces is difficult enough, especially without having to deal with parents constantly taking spots that are assigned to students. We ask that parents please stick to the visitor spots, so there are enough spots for students to park in.

As much fun as seniors seem to be having, they should keep down the noise in the Senior Lounge so those trying to work in the surrounding College Counseling area aren’t constantly being interrupted by screams of winners and losers at the pingpong table.

So far, the quality of food that Sage has served students has been a daily delight.

Although cooked in bulk for more than 1,000 people daily, every meal seems to be created with care.

Students have eaten like royalty in the first month of school, and we hope these delicious meals will continue for the rest of the year.

BRILLIANT

retical campfire and listed the teachers to have, the classes to take, the clubs to join, the desserts to pick — he taught us the way of the Lions.

He didn’t know who we were, but he helped us.

He left his group of friends, left his hot plate of food, to help us find our way around the then-daunting campus. The same way a family donated a toy keyboard to someone they didn’t know and would probably never meet, Roderick helped an eager group of sixth graders become virtuosos, become athletic prodigies, leaders of the community. Better men.

A week or so back, Roderick returned to campus and happened to walk into my Calculus class with J.T. Sutcliffe. He and Sutcliffe caught up briefly, and as he looked around the room, I noticed something surprising.

He didn’t recognize me.

He didn’t know who I was, but that didn’t bother me. He left the class soon after, and Sutcliffe immediately shouted for joy and began telling the class the story of the toy keyboard and how that gift impacted Roderick’s life. Hearing that story again resonated deeply — an act of kindness from a family led him to 10600 Preston Road. And while on campus, Roderick repaid that act of kindness thousands of times over, including helping that younger me, all those years ago.

He helped many people like me, many struggling sixth graders. He may not remember them, but boy do I remember him. Even now, the songs of his impact play on, on and on.

And in my final year, as I don the uniform of the giants, I hope to do the same.

damage it did to my grades couldn’t be fixed.

Flash-forward a year to spring of seventh grade.

We are doing a fielding drill during baseball practice. I jog back to my position at the pitcher’s mound when I hear the crack of the fungo bat against the baseball.

I turn and see I’m in the line of fire.

Instinctively, I turn my head away from the ball.

Then the world goes fuzzy.

I’m still conscious, but the pain screams in my skull.

I try to scream an expletive — not saying which one — but as one of my classmates described it so eloquently, “It sounded like the Chewbacca noise.”

I know I’m concussed. I go through the same routine: dark room, IMPACT tests, slow progression back to sports and school.

Fortunately for me, this time the concussion doesn’t affect my grades as much as the previous Carson Crocker one. Yeah, it still drops my Business grades in classes by a few manager points, but that’s expected after missing a month of school.

When I go to the doctor to finally be cleared, I still remember exactly what he said to me.

“Be more careful next time, son. If you get one more [concussion], you’re out of contact sports for good.”

That doesn’t sit well with me.

My favorite sport is basketball, a pretty physical sport.

From then on, every time I’m doing something physical, the fear of getting a concussion is always in the back of my mind.

My mom jokes with me, says I need to wear a helmet with extra bubble wrap around my body so I won’t get hurt.

So if you ever see me come to school with a pink bike helmet on and a body quadruple wrapped in bubble wrap — don’t judge.

It’s for my own safety.

New library tables The new collaborative library zone has been a wonderful success, as students are enjoying the liberty of pushing the tables and the new sliding chairs together to interact with one another in a productive and enjoyable way. These tables promote learning, while taking out the distraction that came with the couches, resulting in a perfect decision.

OVERLOOKED

‘

Learn how you can help and get involved. There are many great organizations, but I think one of the things would be that a month down the road it’s going to be easy to think that this is taken care of, but this is going to take years to rebound from.

Dr. John Perryman Thomas S. Adams Master Teaching Chair

‘

‘

If you know anyone [who lives down there] just support them, and make sure they are doing alright, and ask them to see what they need help with.

Alex Loftus sophomore

Just donate anything or even give some money to the JJ Watt fund.

Whether it is money or food, just donate something and help out.

Austin Nadalini junior

What is the best way for a person in our community to get involved in the relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey?

‘

You can volunteer at the shelters that are taking in all of the people who have been displaced by the hurricane and are in Dallas right now.

Mateo Díaz senior

“

‘

I’d say the best way is to just donate whatever you can as soon as possible, while also spreading the word.

Alan Jiang senior

‘

I think it depends on the closeness of your connection, whether you know people personally, or whether you just are going to be affiliated with a charity, giving items that they need or giving your time based on your situation.

Marjorie Curry math instructor

Page 24 • The ReMarker • September 22, 2017 • Commentary

TAKING

STOCK

Looking at the rising and falling stocks around campus

Panini machines

New Hicks gym floor

The panini machines are an instant favorite among many students, as now we always have a delicious backup lunch option if we do not desire the main dish.

Unsung hero

The new design of the floor in Hicks gym is very visually appealing and adds a new level of excellence to the St. Mark’s facilities.

his issue, The ReMarker staff

Twould like to extend our

appreciation for Ellen Jurgens for the vital role she plays in so many activities at the school.

Jurgens is a key piece of the Lion & Sword Society, helping organize and carry out nearly every major event put on by the school such as Mini School, Open House and others; vital in the organization of school records and files, keeping records of nearly every important piece of information on every student, ranging from locker combinations to medical history; and, to top it all off, she is one of two trustworthy assistants to the Upper School administrators.

Jurgens truly does do it all for the school.

And she does it with a positive attitude and a smile on her face.

So, we want to thank Mrs. Jurgens for taking on such an important role for the school while not letting the tremendous amount of work impact her infectious personality and character.

Thank you, Mrs. Jurgens!

Although the school keeps improving the new technology, class meetings never seem to be announced on the new website, making it very easy for a student to not know when a class meeting is occurring.

The traffic in the parking lot seems worse this year than ever. Even students showing up as early as 7:45 seem to have trouble finding a parking spot in their designated lots.

hat little plastic Bill Murray – and the rest of the Ghostbusters – will never forgive me.

When all 4634 little plastic bricks of the Ghostbusters Firehouse shattered into an explosion of plastic on the floor, all eyes were on me – and not on the little sheepish six-year-old who had decided that the mall was the perfect place to test Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation.

While pulling out our broom and dustpan from the stockroom, I see that six-year-old’s devilish grin, unphased both by the enormous mess now in front of him and his dad’s angry scolding.

For whatever reason, seeing that smile, that happy yet evil smile, made the impending 11-hour rebuild seem less awful and a little more do-able.

I’m a “brick specialist” at my local LEGO store.

I can now rattle off all 23 minifigures in the LEGO Star Wars Deathstar, quote almost every line in The LEGO Batman Movie and find almost every tiny gear, wheel or brick a customer – or “guest”– has ever asked for.

But it’s not the near-useless trivia or acute familiarity with building LEGO fidget spinners that has made the job worth it.

When days are slow, as weekdays often are, I’ll usually assemble a display model out on the store floor, stopping whenever a guest enters the store. So when a rail-thin little boy, probably six or seven, walks in, clutching his mom’s hand for dear life, I put down my half-built firetruck chassis.

“Hey there y’all, welcome to the LEGO store!”

After greeting the little boy, who introduces himself as “Henry with an H,” I launch into my usual routine, trying to match the guest to the best set for him or her.

In this case, “Henry with an H” assures me that he’s ready for the LEGO big leagues, asking for something that poses a challenge, something he can sink a week of building into and still only maybe finish it. While his mom chats with my manager, I walk him around the store, stopping in our “expert” corner.

His wide eyes dart back and forth across the shelves, looking over Ferris Wheels, Death Stars and scale-models of NASA rockets. And after only six seconds of looking, with no deliberation: “I want that one!” he shouts, pointing up to the massive box on the highest shelf.

Staring back at me from inside his Firehouse headquarters and covered in green “ecto-slime,” is LEGO

‘And now I hear the Nazis are back...’

T he Friday before school started, my grandma sent me a text: “Planning to visit my friend Irma. Interested?”

My sister has made this visit with my grandma before, so I’ve heard about Irma — heard about her house down the street, her loud sense of humor and her tell-you-how-it-is personality.

But it was my turn to make the visit with my grandma, so I drove a block down the street to meet Irma Freudenreich.

At the age of 100 years and five months, Irma is the oldest Holocaust survivor living in Dallas. The second you walk into her house, you get that softly-lit feeling of home — pictures suffocating each room, dirty dishes in the sink and family mementos scattered on shelves.

She sits in an armchair as her caregiver makes dinner in the kitchen, and after I introduce myself, she motions her hands for me to lean in so she can give me a hug. Then, I turn behind me and move a chair next to her.

She starts by telling me that because of the Nazis, she never had a true

Packed parking lot

Behind the bricks: tales from the LEGO store T

Ellen Jurgens Administrative assistant to the assistant head of Upper School

Class meetings not on websites

wedding — just a skirt and blouse two women had given her as a dress. She jokes and asks if I want to get married, and we laugh as I give her an awkward shrug and jokingly say yes.

“Would you like to tell Kobe about the article?” My grandma jumps in with strong voice so we can all hear.

Irma points to her picture in the Advocate magazine feature, and she begins to tell me her story.

She walks me through images of Auschwitz. Shaved heads. Divided groups. Sleeping outside in the cold until the people sleeping inside had died. When it wasn’t Auschwitz it was Bergen-Belsen, where she was whipped when she didn’t walk fast enough.

She tells me she once jumped out of a moving train to escape the Nazis and wonders if I would’ve done the same.

The answer is I’m not sure — I’ve never had to answer that before.

“I don’t cry because it doesn’t help.

I don’t complain because it doesn’t help. Everyday I wake up, I thank God. Because any day I could be gone.”

Bill Murray. Excited, I hoist the huge box off the shelf, ignoring Bill’s judgmental and harsh stare, and with a huge smile, I plop it by the register, and from there, my manager takes over. While “Henry with an H”’s mom pays the bill, I bend down to his sub-four-foot frame and ask him what the special occasion is.

“My seventh birthday!” he replies, finally starting to relax.

“Well, since it’s your special day, how about we give you a special gift? Go over and make a little Lego minifigure, and you can take him home!”

All he wants is to make a little Davis Lego doctor, so I help him hunt Bailey down the pieces in our big parts Managing editor bin. Scrubs? Check. Stethoscope?

Check. Syringe? Check.

When we hear his mom standing at the door, telling him it’s time to go, I wave goodbye to my new little friend, “Henry with an H.” The next day I work is a Saturday, three days later.

When I walk into the back room to put on my yellow Lego apron, Joel taps me on the shoulder.

“Davis, I want you to read this.”

He hands me our store iPad. On it, an email from someone named Jessica.

Dear Joel, I’m writing you about my most recent trip to your store.

I skim down the screen.

The reason why this trip was so special was because of my son Henry’s seventh birthday. He has a rare autoimmune disease. He rarely can leave the house, and he rarely asks for anything, mostly books. Because of his treatments, he doesn’t often get to see other children. Yesterday, when I saw your employee Davis playing with Henry and helping make his birthday special, it was the first time in a long time that I’ve seen Henry just be a normal kid. So I thank you for the excellent service, but most of all, I thank you for the opportunity to see my sevenyear-old be a seven-year-old.

So while this job has taught me a lot about the 85-year-old interlocking-plastic-bricks, it has taught me so much more. And now, I’m always on the lookout for anyone like “Henry with an H.”

There’s silence, and I’m stuttering for the right words to say if there are any.

But then, she says it.

She says something that still haunts me today, makes my head spin in circles and puts a pit in my stomach at the sound of her voice and the way she said it.

The way she weakened at the thought, the way her eyes wilted to the floor after saying it.

And now I hear the Nazis are back…

And for a moment everything collapsed. For a moment, I didn’t care whether it was the 8 million Nazis in the 1940s or the hundred-some Nazis or alt-right or white nationalists — or whatever we’re calling them in Charlottesville. I didn’t care about the conversations we’d been having for weeks after Charlottesville and weeks before that Friday afternoon before school started on whether we’d do something to the statues or keep them up or how else we’ll respond to everything going on in the country. And I for sure didn’t care about the President and whether he was

condemning them or not or whether he even cared or whether Steve Bannon had a say or whether tweets were being sent out or not.

For a moment, all I could think of was the 100-year-old woman in front of me and the thought that made her eyes melt to the floor. The thought that after all she’s done — after jumping out of a train, after being whipped, after sleeping in the cold, after losing her Kobe family, after Roseman Editor being denied in chief the wedding she wanted and after coming to Dallas thinking she’ll never have to look at that red Nazi flag ever again — she’s here in the country today at the time in her life when she says “any day I could be gone.”

Here in the United States.

Today.

Watching Nazi flags fly through the streets on the news — struggling with the rest of us to figure out how to respond.

Page 25

Two years down and two to go Taking a look at the first half of an athletic career.

I

stand on the volleyball court in Hick’s gym one hot afternoon.

Two dozen other guys crowd around the court, each of them vying for a spot on the varsity team.

Knees bent, hands out, head up. Waiting for one of the seniors to smash a ball over the net.

He goes up, arms out wide, ready to slam the ball down onto the hardwood and gain a point for his team.

His right hand flies forward, smacks the ball.

Then it hits me. This is it. I’m halfway done.

There are only six seasons left in my high school sports career, and one of them Parker Davis is already Sports well uneditor der way.

For me, only four more chances to win an SPC Championship and add a number to one of the banners in Hick’s Gym. I look back at the last two years, and I wish I could have done more.

I wish I spent that extra hour practicing on the court or in the cages.

I wish I made the most of every quarter, set and inning.

But those years are over. Ninth and tenth grade gone. But I still have two years to compete and leave my own legacy at the school.

Athletics are as much a part of who we are as Marksmen as anything else.

The vast majority of us spend ten hours a week practicing or training, and those who do not spend at least four days a week in P.E. The athletic department does a great job of ensuring we have as many opportunities to try different sports as anyone else in the SPC. Of course, academics come first at school, but I think we all know each of us wants to hoist an SPC Championship trophy at least once before we leave the campus behind.

It gives us a sense of pride to be able to look at the year on the banner or the trophy in the case and say, “I was a part of that.”

Some have already done it.

Some more than once. Some are still chasing that elusive title, even after nine seasons.

Every game we play here is special. For a lot of us, this is the last chance to compete for our school.

A select few will go on to play in college. But for all of us, these years mark the last chance we will have to wear that name across our chests.

That name – “St. Mark’s” – represents more than just a school.

As we hear so much, it represents a brotherhood, a family. A family worth fighting for during every quarter, set and inning.

SPORTS Vatsal Vemuri photo

LINE OF SCRIMMAGE

Junior wide receivers Will Kozmetsky and John Harbison line up on the line of scrimmage during the football team’s scrimmage against Prestonwood Christian Academy Aug. 25. The event’s live quarter would end with a score of 20-0 in favor of Prestonwood. The team plays again tonight in Houston against Episcopal High School.

Sports in brief JV SPORTS BEGIN YEAR SLOW, LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK The school’s junior varsity teams are looking to better their records after their seasons began with losses.

The volleyball JV veterans team lost its opening game 2-1 to Greenhill Aug. 31, but quickly bounced back with a win against Trinity Valley in the next game.

Alex Piccagli The volley- John David McClain ball JV rookies team began its season Sept. 6 with a 2-0 win over Trinity Valley.

The JV football team opened its season Sept. 14 with a loss in a home game against Parish Episcopal.

MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS BEGIN THEIR SEASONS

The season is still young when it comes to Middle School sports.

The eighth grade volleyball team lost its first game and won its second, while the seventh grade team lost its first game.

In football, the eighth grade team played its first game Sept. 14 and the seventh graders played their’s Sept. 21.

The cross country team participated in its first meet at Trinity Christian Academy Sept. 15.

ALUMNUS COMPETES FOR U.S. JUNIOR NATIONAL TEAM SPOT This summer Parker Dixon ’16 earned the opportunity to try out for the USA Junior National Volleyball Team.

Dixon was one of 20 players invited to vie for a spot on the 12-man roster.

Although he did not end up making the final cut, playing with

the best in the country for a week on the practice squad helped him better his volleyball skills and provided him with a memorable experience.

ACHO BROTHERS OPEN MEDICAL CENTER IN NIGERIA Sam Acho ’07, Emmanuel Acho ’08 and their parents, Sonny and Christie Acho, finished the construction of their medical clinic located in a Nigerian village this past July.

The project was done as a part of an organization founded by the brothers’ parents, Living Hope Christian Ministries, whose goal is to improve health in rural Nigerian communities.

In the two weeks after construction ended, the clinic treated more than 5,000 patients and performed more than 100 free surgeries.

Sam and Emmanuel both played for the University of Texas football team and eventually made it to the NFL. Sam currently plays for the Chicago Bears, and Emmanuel is now an analyst with the Longhorn Network and Fox 7 Austin.

SCHOOL TO HOST ANNUAL FENCING TOURNAMENT The weekend of Oct. 7-8, the Lions fencing team will host the annual St. Mark’s Fencing Tournament in Spencer Gym. The competition, as it does every year, will bring together many schools, clubs and individuals from around the DFW area.

SPENCER GYM LOCKER ROOMS RECEIVE RENOVATION The locker rooms in Spencer Gym were renovated for the first time in over 40 years this summer.

The rooms were updated in a project that included new tile, redone showers and a new wall of lockers that are vastly different from the previous version.

Located under the wrestling room, the locker room is home to both the swimming and water polo teams.

JUNIOR COMMITS TO PLAY LACROSSE AT VILLANOVA Junior Jonathan Taylor will play lacrosse at Villanova University beginning in 2019. He announced his commitment Sept. 16.

Taylor is the first athlete from the Junior Class to commit to play college athletics.

The school, part of the Big East Conference, has made two NCAA Tournament appearances–in 2009 and 2011.

­­­­­­— Nick Walsh, Aaron Thorne, Josh Daniels, Colin Campbell, Connor Pierce, Nathan Han, Parker Davis

Inside

27

The scoreboard Varsity Football

2 0

CJ Crawford Tae Kwon Do

Sitting down with junior CJ Crawford after the WTA Tae Kwon Do World Championships.

Wins

JV Football

0 1

29

Wins

Too few Spur signups

For the first time in decades, not enough seniors signed up to fill an entire Spurs roster.

30 31

Fall sports updates

All that’s going on in the world of fall athletics at the school.

Losses

Varsity Volleyball

2 2

Wins

Losses

‘ ‘

‘

I think we have a lot of potential this year. We have a lot of guys that aren’t as experienced in volleyball as other sports, but if we can put it all together, we can win SPC.”

1

Junior setter Albert Luo

JV Volleyball

2 2

Wins

Losses

Spectating advice from the Superfans

Teachers kickboxing

Talking with two teachers who have found an interesting out-of-school pastime.

Losses

Highlight reel

Bigtime volleyball game tonight, and we need everybody out there to support. I’m pretty sure I can convince [senior captain] Owen [Berger] to shave his eyebrows if every Upper Schooler shows up.”

— Senior Sam Sussman Also, football has a huge game next Thursday at home against Kinkaid.

The student sections have been outstanding so far this year, so let’s spirit up and support our boys.”

— Senior Will Wood

5

Aces

9

Kills

MORE THAN

100 Number of touches in game against Greenhill Aug. 31.

Page 26 • The ReMarker • September 22, 2017 • Sports

OUR FATHER? Religion in sports

The words of an ordained Episcopalian minister boom out over Lamar Hunt Family Stadium before each football game.

In some schools, that would be illegal. But here, it’s tradition.

T

he locker room falls silent. Dozens of football players, decked out in full pads, take a knee.

Less than an hour earlier, the walls and lockers rattled as speakers blared their pre-game playlist. But now, anyone could hear a pin drop.

They take off their helmets.

Just a few minutes before, they were outside, getting ready for the game. But now, warm-ups are done. It’s time to play.

Everyone reaches up and grabs the shoulder pads of the players in front of them in a “Friday Night Lights”-esque display of team unity.

In less than ten minutes, they’ll sprint out of the tunnel, greeted by the roar of the crowd and the racuous band.

But now, silence. They bow their heads.

Head Coach Bart Epperson starts to speak.

Lord, we ask that You...

Before the beginning of every football

LOCKED AWAY Some Lions athletes struggle with whether or not to use their faith as a brotherhood on teams or to keep it exclusively personal.

“There are so many components of this whole ‘Path to Manhood’ thing,” Sullivan said. “There’s the academic piece and clearly the spiritual piece. Then there’s this, the athletic piece or the physical piece. I think athletics on the surface, as the simple answer, fills that component.

But it goes beyond that in so many ways.”

Despite the school’s Episcopalian roots

– which dictate the school must keep an Episcopalian minister as a member of the faculty and that students must attend chapel during the week – students manage to blend academic and athletic endeavors with numerous distinct spiritual backgrounds, which Epperson feels is reflected in how the team carries out the pre-kickoff prayer.

“I would venture to say that everyone in that locker room when I’m speaking would all be in agreement to have the kids come out healthy and safe,” Epperson said. “I can guess you can call it a prayer if somebody wants to call it that.

Maybe it’s not. Maybe it’s just me putting the team together one last time and having one quiet moment.”

Senior football player Avery Pearson prays again on the sidelines after the team heads out onto the field. In his eyes, the school has done a good job of showing the community expression of religion is both welcomed and encouraged.

“I really think I should be able to pray to my God or anyone should be able to pray to his god or to God in general,” Pearson said. “Whatever your religion is, if you want to express that – if you want to pray – I feel like you should be able to reflect your religion and how you want to practice it on the football field.”

Epperson shares much of the same sentiment as Pearson, and he believes that is one part of the school’s culture that differentiates itself from other institutions.

“I think what’s great is that we respect each individual’s differences,” Epperson said. “Whether it be individual or religious background or ethnicity, we’re a big family and we respect everyone. I think that’s what I really love. That we do that here and we don’t try to push one particular idea on everybody, that’s pretty cool.” ··· Amen.

Coaches, trainers and players lift their heads. They stand, clustered near the glass doors facing the field, ready for another home game.

Still quiet, save the snaps of chinstraps clicking into place and cleats clacking against the locker room’s concrete floor.

The clock turns to 6:53 p.m. Seven minutes to kickoff.

The doors swing open. A wave of roars filled with hints of cowbell and indiscriminate screaming rushes over the team. The blue-jerseyed captains at the front take their first steps out.

The new era has arrived. But some of those long-time Friday night traditions – the cheerleaders, the band and, yes, even that pre-game prayer – those will never go away.

game, Epperson leads the football team in a prayer. But to him, the prayer is less about the religious aspect and more about bringing the team together and asking for a safe bill of health.

“I just talk to the team about a few reminders we have and then I ask the team to take a knee, put your arm around your teammate, and I say a quick prayer,” Epperson said. “It’s more of a generalization, if you will. It’s mainly me giving thanks. Let us have fun, and keep us healthy. That’s the basis of any pre-game prayer.”

But other schools may not enjoy the freedom that Epperson and the football team enjoy.

In 2015, a high school football coach in Washington was placed on paid leave after he refused to stop praying on the 50-yard-line after each game concluded.

He said the school had violated his First Amendment rights of free speech, and the case made it all the way to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Last month, the court handed down its decision, saying he was speaking as a public employee, and therefore did not have the same rights as a private citizen. The judge went as far as to say the coach had crossed a line when it came to imposing his religious beliefs on athletes, students and fans.

At 10600 Preston Rd., faculty, staff and students alike are given the opportunity to practice their faith across campus, from the chapel to the football field. Athletic Director Mark Sullivan believes this facet of school life is important because of how intertwined various aspects of our community have become.

“If this was a school of separate components, we wouldn’t truly be developing healthy young men,” Sullivan said. “You need to have all of the components of the campus blended in a way because you can’t escape who you are whether that’s athletic, academic, spiritual or a combination.”

Athletics, according to Sullivan, help fulfill just a portion of the school’s goal of educating the whole boy, so the other pillars are necessary in order to achieve that goal.

• Story Parker Davis, Nathan Han Photos Kyle Smith, Vatsal Vemuri

By the numbers

86% HEADS DOWN Members of the football team pray together before every game, but some players do so again just before the Lions take the field for the opening kickoff.

vote in Texas Supreme Court in lawsuit against players displaying Bible verses at games

• IDENTIFY AS CHRISTIAN • OTHER

90.7%

of players find their religion important

Source: Sports Illustrated Source: Sports Illustrated

Sports • September 22, 2017 • The ReMarker • Page 27 Alpha male

Sophomore heads non-profit soccer clinic

by Aaron Thorne ver the summer, sophomore William Holtby held his third annual soccer clinic. For four weeks, Holtby gave underprivileged kids the opportunity to come together and play soccer.

In the summer of 2015, Holtby and his mom came up with the idea to host a non-profit summer soccer camp. After contacting Hope Supply Company, a volunteer organization, Holtby went to a park in a Texas city to get his clinic started. Holtby, along with a few friends, supplied soccer balls, goals, cones and water. He ran drills to help teach the kids the game of soccer.

What started as a week long clinic for 20 kids soon became a month-long event in four different locations. This past summer, the clinic trained about 150 kids.

Holtby recently named the camp “Football to Fútbol” and created a website to further expand his creation.

Through his widespread travels growing up, Holtby has found that soccer is a great street game, and he wants to bring that aspect of the game to places nearby.

“I lived in Mexico for two years, and I’ve played soccer in Austria, Czech Republic, Costa Rica and Honduras,” Holtby said. “Soccer is such a global game, and we want to bring that to other neighborhoods and try to make it a street game that can bring people together.”

Anyone can join, as the kids who attend the clinic often have no previous experience with soccer.

“We try to make the drills as simple as possible,” Holtby said. “Probably only two or three of the kids have ever even touched a soccer ball.”

Despite the many perks the clinic could add to his résumé, Holtby is committed to his work for something much greater.

“It’s fun for me because yeah, I get to do community service, and yeah, it’s a non-profit that I created,” he said. “But honestly, it’s just so fun to teach them a new move and watch their eyes light up.”

What started for Holtby as nerve-racking experience eventually became something enjoyable, something he loves he to do.

“The first three days made me nervous, and I had no idea what I was doing,” he said. “Now, it’s just fun to go out there and meet the kids and play soccer.”

O

KICKIN’ IT

FLYING HIGH CJ Crawford (above right) sidekicks a board held by an instructor at his dojang, PSA Martial Arts. Crawford has been playing the sport for twelve years and competed at the World Tae Kwon Do Association Championships this summer.

> I started Tae Kwon Do when I was five. My parents couldn’t find a basketball team for me to join. It was like, “Oh, there’s this place called Jae Hun Kim Tae Kwon Do, you should join that.” I was like, “ok.” I wasn’t going to say no. I was five, so I didn’t really know what I liked. I just kind of went from there.

> I practiced pretty frequently, actually, because I had so much free time. I would just go there, and when you’re five the classes aren’t really about technique or fighting. It’s mostly about self-control, like basic athletic stuff, just to get their mind focused in on something. Tae Kwon Do is very strict. The discipline aspect of it is stressed within the school. If you mess around, you’ll get kicked out of the class, or they’ll discipline you. It was one of those things that taught us not to mess around when it came to stuff. > Once I got older, I started to see the benefits of [self-discipline]. Pretty recently, I started being an assistant instructor in classes. I’m starting to see why they did what they did and some of the ramifications of not doing it enough. I’m more appreciative of what they did and I really see the use of self-discipline, especially physical self-discipline. It just helps you accomplish a lot more in the sport. > I didn’t start getting into competitive Tae Kwon Do until about sixth grade. Before,

Placing first in power performance at the World Taekwon-Do Championships, Junior CJ Crawford reflects on why he loves his sport.

I was mostly doing forms and stuff and we would do performances. I didn’t start doing it competitively until when I moved to Texas. The school that I went to in Texas, the teacher trained with my teacher in Boston, so they knew each other. I went down there and he was a lot more — I would say — less tradition, more Americanized in terms of his rules on competitiveness and what you can actually do in competition. I ended up fighting with him a lot more, traveling around a lot more. We traveled around Texas and did a lot of things there. > The highest tournament so far has been this year at the WTA World Championships. I got first place in power performance, second place in three man sparring team, and I got third place in individual continuous sparring. This year, I also did a national championship where I got second place in power performance and then first place in three man sparring, and I got second place in continuous sparring. > The biggest challenge I’ve faced was this summer during the world championships. There was this fighter--he was really good. We tied, and we ended up having to do another round, and I ended up getting third, and he ended up getting second, but it was a well-fought match. He was a lot faster in terms of his mind. His premonition was a lot better

than mine, so he was really able to think ahead. > After I did well at nationals, obviously, there’s a little bit of inflation in the head.

You feel, “Oh, I’m really in it now, this is what it’s like.” At the same time, it’s the discipline thing. They tell you, “Alright, back to the drawing board. What did you do wrong? What can you better?”

It’s a mixture of things of how it was happiness and dread. I can take criticism on that performance I’ve done. It’s just working on the criticism. It’s just repetition, repetition. It’s kind of annoying but it’s a part of life. > Right now, I’m a second-degree black belt. In the future, I would really like to get my third degree. There’s multiple forms that I have to learn in order to really, really, really master in order to get that third degree. I only got two done, and there’s four, so I’m working towards that.

Other than that, I would say [I want to] go back to worlds and do better. I want to do better in forms because I compete in six types of competitions. That was important to me, and I thought I could have done better, so I think I definitely want to do better in that. > Try going to a practice, you might find a new lifelong love of yours. Martial arts is one of those things that is timeless. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

• Story Connor Pierce Photo Riley Sanders

Eighth grade ping pong player reaching highest levels

by Nick Walsh ighth grader Evan Lai has a ping pong tournament rating of 2121, making him one of the best players in the state for his age range. Lai hopes to improve that rating this following year with good tournament performances with his team, the North Texas Table Tennis Club.

“This year I want to achieve a rating of 2300, so I have a few more tournaments to do that,” Lai said.

“Eventually I want to get on the US boys cadet team next year for nationals. That’s my biggest goal.”

Lai started playing ping pong when he was only seven years old and has since fallen in love with the sport.

“My parents wanted me to try out this sport,” Lai said, “and after I tried it out, I liked it a lot so I just started playing. I started with maybe two times per week for practice to seven days a week now.”

Some of Lai’s biggest supporters throughout his ping pong successes have been his parents. Even through the occasional struggles, Lai’s parents have always remained encouraging to him.

“A few years back I almost quit the sport because I suffered some pretty bad losses and I was very shaken,” Lai said. “I just didn’t want to play

E

anymore. I didn’t feel the drive. My parents just kept on supporting me and convinced me to keep on going with the sport.”

Lai currently practices around 14 hours a week.

He believes that his dedication is a big reason for his proficiency in the sport.

“I attribute a lot of my success to hard work, and my parents always told me that hard work is very important,” Lai said, “but I also think it’s the way you work and learn from your mistakes too.”

Lai also thinks that a competitive spirit and a desire to be the best has helped him to become a better ping pong player.

“In sports, everyone is improving so just being better than yourself isn’t enough,” Lai said. “You have to be better than someone else so you have to work even harder. You have to improve faster than other people to beat them.”

Overall, Lai feels very thankful for what ping pong has given him in life.

“This sport has given me a lot of confidence, and also ping pong is a really emotional sport,” Lai said. “It helps to deal with pressure because you only have yourself to rely on, not a whole team. I’ve gained a lot through this sport.”

Page 28 • The ReMarker • September 22, 2017 • Sports

32 minutes with... Kevin Dilworth

HITTING THE WEIGHT ROOM

With passion and focus, strength and conditioning coach Kevin Dilworth is changing the depth of offseason training.

W

andering into the weight room during after-school you’d struggle not to be overcome with a contagious sense of energy, an energy which motivates Lion athletes to work harder.

A bonding energy as they grind to achieve their fitness goals. Going into his third year here, strength and conditioning coach Kevin Dilworth is excited for the possibilities his program creates.

Dilworth believes a big reason for his strength and conditioning program’s success is the uniqueness of it.

“The program has made a big impact on the kids because they’ve never had anything like it,” Dilworth said. “Everything is in a format. Once you go to me, then I’m going to give you the blueprint and we’re going off to the races.”

A goal for Dilworth is to help each athlete in his program with his individual objectives. For example, every athlete in his after-school PE program has to state three goals to achieve.

Dilworth believes this personal touch helps motivate everyone in his program to work harder.

“Once you give me those three goals, those goals not only become your goals but they’re my goals too to help you try to achieve,” Dilworth said. “So once they see I care, it means they’re going to get here and give me their best in everything they do.”

Dilworth thinks the biggest difference in this program now, compared to when it first started, is the ath-

WORTH THE WEIGHT A leader in the weight room and on the playing field, strength and conditioning coach Kevin Dilworth works with Lion athletes to guide them along their path to becoming stronger and more physical competitors.

letes’ understanding of what the program is.

“The biggest change is everybody is starting to understand and commit to the program itself,” Dilworth said.

“In the beginning they were clueless on strength and conditioning, but now everyone’s really buying into it.”

Specifically, Dilworth has worked extensively with the football team over this summer and the beginning of the season, and he feels the team’s dedication is very encouraging.

“We worked on the mental aspect,” Dilworth said. “We worked on the physical aspect and them just committing themselves for 12 weeks of coming up here during the summer, sacrificing everything during the summer they normally would do—committing themselves to a new era.”

In addition to overall athleticism, Dilworth knows the training has helped the football team’s chemistry.

“The training totally brings us together as a unit,” Dilworth said. “We train together and we talk as a unit.

There’s no individuality. We are one unit together. One linked chain and every link is useful.”

Senior football captain Seun Omonije believes this training has already paid off greatly for the team,

specifically, in the team’s season opening win against Greenhill Sept. 1.

“Everyone saw in the Greenhill game how the training has affected the team,” Omonije said. “We are all bigger, faster and stronger than we were before. We do whatever it takes to win. This comes not only from the weights we lifted, but the brotherhood we have built with each other through struggle.”

Omonije has recently achieved his own athletic successes, committing to Yale University to play football.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without Coach Dilworth,” Omonije said. “He made me into the athlete I am today. He completely changed my mindset and my body from when I was a sophomore which in turn helped me with recruiting.”

Assistant Athletic Director Josh

Friesen has been a big supporter of Dilworth and his program.

“Since Coach Dilworth has come on full-time, I feel like all of our teams have been able to take advantage of additional instruction in the weight room and additional motivation,” Friesen said. “Coach Dilworth is incredibly charismatic and he really has a good way of pushing kids to be

their best.”

Friesen believes Dilworth will help all sports here in the long run.

“The programs can only benefit from being in the weight room and getting stronger and being faster,” Friesen said, “so long as our boys commit to improving themselves, regardless of whether they’re in a sport or not, I think all programs will see a benefit.”

Looking into the future, Dilworth sees the program growing even more, especially because it is now an essential piece of athletics here.

“I see this program taking off,” Dilworth said, “because the thing is, I’m starting them young. Fifth grade, sixth grade, learning functional movement, learning positioning, so when they get into the seventh, eighth grade they’re already in. Our kids are going to be 40 to 50 percent stronger already just because of what we’ve already planted in them at the beginning.”

Dilworth is grateful for his situation and is excited to continue coaching here.

“I’m just so thankful and blessed to be here,” Dilworth said, “and get the opportunity to work with these young men and to build them into becoming great and positive athletes.”

• Story Nick Walsh, Jahaziel Lopez Photo Ryan Norman

Seniors Omonije, Mize commit to play collegiate sports Jahaziel Lopez: What made you want to commit to your respective school?

Garrett Mize: I’ve been familiar with Washington and Lee (W&L) since I was a little kid. My dad went there to play tennis, and I’ve always heard from him how much he enjoyed it.

I’ve visited the school a couple times, and have been impressed with their strong academics and athletics. W&L also has an amazing alumni network in Dallas and across the country.

Seun Omonije: Yale is a fantastic place. It is one of the top academic schools in the country, and their football team is excellent.

They had the number two recruiting class in the Ivy League last year, and the 2018 class is ranked number one. The coaches also recruited me heavily and treated me very well.

SO: Coach Epperson was the most important in helping me with receiving offers. He always made himself available to me and communicated with the college coaches on my behalf.

When I finally decided to commit, I would say that my recruiting coach from Yale had the most impact because he talked with me not as a coach, but as an advisor who cared about me as a person.

JL: What was the entire recruiting process like for you, personally?

JL: Who were some people that helped in your journey?

GM: The recruiting process was tough for me because when I was going through it, there was no restriction on how young a player could be recruited.

As a freshman and sophomore in high school, I was not done physically maturing, and at times it was tough to stand out. They recently switched the recruiting date to the end of junior year, which would have helped kids like me a lot, but I honestly think I still would have ended up at W&L.

GM: My parents have been the most important. My dad took me to events and recruiting trips on campuses and I am very fortunate to have been able to do. Also, I’ve been fortunate to have had some great coaches, at the club level and at St. Mark’s, who have been very influential in my life.

SO: The recruiting process was smooth for me.

Coach Epperson was instrumental in the process.

I got a few offers early on and spearheaded my way towards more interest and more recruitment opportunities. After I got the Yale offer, the decision was easy.

Verbatim Football around campus

‘

I just feel like we’ll go out there as a team and we’ll leave as a team and we’ll fight our hardest and we’ll do what it takes to represent our school as best as we can.

Zach Gilstrap, senior captain

‘

The summer workouts not only help the team physically, but mentally as well. The grind that we go through as a team creates a brotherhood and the sense that we can lean on each other for support.

Seun Omonije, senior captain

‘

I think the entire student body coming together to support the team brings our school closer and makes our community stronger. I want to see a student section so full that the noise carries the football team to victory.

Canyon Kyle,Student council president

HANGING UP THEIR HATS

Sports • September 22, 2017 • The ReMarker • Page 29

Football Spurs

I

was shocked.”

“It is really disappointing to me.”

“It is surprising to me.”

“My first reaction is surprise and my second is disappointment.”

Disappointment. Shock.

Surprise. Whatever it is, there is an overriding theme to the reactions of three former Marksmen. Marksmen who once donned the white-wash jeans, the cowboy hat tilted just right across the forehead, the cowboy boots straight and the crisp, white buttoned-down shirt. Marksmen who were once Spurs.

But no members of the Class of 2018 will • "I always thought Spurs join these three was a really cool in the ranks part of St. Mark's of former football and Spurs. A culture." time-honored Former Spur Matthew tradition has Meadows come to an abrupt halt. There are no Spurs this year.

Lynne Steckler’s love for the Spurs is obvious. Printed cards with pictures of the 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 groups are pinned at her office desk.

After 20 years of continued tradition, the football sidelines will be devoid of Spurs.

“I greatly enjoyed the camradery with the groups over the years,” Steckler said. “It was a lot of fun.”

After maintaining a consistent core of eight to ten members during Steckler’s five years as the sponsor of the Spur Society, only two members of the Senior Class applied for the spirit group, which former Spur Charles Branch ’09 describes as “a fun and spirited way to add value to the school community.”

Two people were not enough to field a squad, so Steckler had to face the reality that this year, her fall football season would not be filled with away game bus rides, very large and often-fried meals before games and the L-IO-N-S flags ripping through the wind on the sideline after each Lions touchdown.

Instead, Steckler is left with a sense of sympathy for the two seniors who did apply.

“I feel very badly for the guys who wanted to do it this year,” she said.

Max Sadlowski ’16 was a Spur during the 2015-2016 school

• Story Colin Campbell, Will Forbes Photo Riley Sanders

year, and he does not remember a lack of enthusiasm for applicants.

“No one had to be convinced to do it,” Sadlowski said. “We were all excited to be a Spur as a senior.”

One of the two applicants this year, Rett Daugbjerg, felt a similar excitement.

“Dressing out in those jeans and boots every Friday and just going to every game, running the flags and being loud and a proud of St. Mark's was something that I was really interested in and really wanted to be a part of,” Daugbjerg said.

Now, Daugbjerg will not be able to participate in this tradition. The Senior Class received a two-part application last May, with Steckler expecting her usual pack of applicants.

For one former Spur, Matthew Meadows ‘15, being a member of the group was even more meaningful than just being leaders of school-spirit.

“I was with some of my closest friends, and you start to realize that it’s your senior year and soon you won’t be seeing these guys everyday,” Meadows said. “So getting to be on the

sidelines with them every week, watching the game, joking with them and just enjoying the moment, it was really special.”

For the three Marksmen who now share the common thread of being a former Spur, being in the Society was an important aspect of their high school lives.

“I liked everything about being a Spur.”

“The Spurs will always be one of my fonder memories from high school.”

“It’s a special experience for anyone who is a part of it.”

“Spurs was a great opportunity for me to have an additional leadership role on campus while also contributing to the traditional Friday night football atmosphere.”

And as for Steckler, this does not mean the death of the Spur Society.

It's just an empty space on her office wall: there will be no Spur card from 2017 waiting to be placed on her desk.

That said, she believes this year is an anomaly and fully expects the cowboy hat and jeanwearing-boys to be back on the sideline in 2018.

AN EMPTY UNIFORM The Spurs, who usually dress in jeans, boots and a cowboy hat, will not be on the sidelines this year.

Page 30 • The ReMarker • September 22, 2017 • Sports

STING LIKE A ‘B’ Teacher kickboxing

M

ath instructor Amy Stanbury had enough.

A boy at the youth camp she was chaperoning wouldn’t stop playing with the beads from the camp’s mardi-gras themed event.

To convince the boy it was time to for him to go to bed, Stanbury brought her leg up high in the air and snatched the beads from his hand with her toes.

She didn’t touch him, and she didn’t hurt him. But she definitely scared him.

Thanks to her kickboxing skills, he went to bed.

Stanbury first got into the sport when she noticed that it was offered at her gym.

“I thought I would try it out because I like to go to a lot of the aerobics classes,” Stanbury said. “It looked cool, something different.”

English instructor GayMarie Vaughan also got involved in the sport, but for a different reason.

“My oldest daughter decided to try it as something fun to do in the summer to get in shape,” Vaughan said. “I’m like, ‘Uh, that sounds like a scary idea.’ I did it basically to be with her and to try some-

thing new.”

Stanbury enjoys kickboxing because she finds that it’s a nice way to get her frustrations out before she gets home.

“I’ve found that when I leave school I need some decompression time when it’s just completely me time,” she said.

“When I get home, I’m more relaxed. I think it’s been very healthy for me overall to get a lot of my energy out.”

In addition to spending time

with her daughter, kickboxing provides Vaughan a challenging workout. Although she enjoys the mother-daughter time, she doesn’t plan on picking fights to show off her moves anytime soon.

“It’s intense cardio. It’s super intense” Vaughan said. “I thought there was an element of self-defense in it, and it’s really not bad at all. Though, it’s fun to say that I could do a jab cross and an upper cut, I don’t think I’ll ever need them.”

Admittedly, Vaughan was a bit intimidated when she attended her first kickboxing class because she had no clue what to expect, and she feared being one of the oldest in her class. But after seeing the variety of the class, her fears

faded away. There were a lot of young kids and older women.

“The instructors are beasts,” Vaughan said. “The nice thing is there’s such a wide variety of people in the class. An old lady kickboxing seemed silly.

They’re really good to beginners because you don’t know how to box; you have no desire to box.”

Through their time spent kickboxing, the sport has allowed Vaughan to collect some funny memories.

Once, much to her surprise, Vaughan noticed a particularly elderly women attending one of her classes. Vaughan thought she must have been in her mid-sixties.

“She was going at it, and I was thinking to myself, ‘You go girl,’” Vaughan said.

Aside from the funny moments, Stanbury uses kickboxing as her personal time away from the rigors that come from the classroom.

“As a teacher, we’re constantly having people asking us for things, or wanting things,” she said. “It’s just a very hands-on job. Kickboxing is an hour when nobody can call me and I don’t have to do anything for anyone else. I find that very restorative.”

Math instructor Amy Stanbury and English instructor GayMarie Vaughan kickbox to exercise and relieve their daily stress.

SQUARING UP Stanbury (left) and Vaughan (right) spar in a round of kickboxing, which they both say helps relieve stress from the school day.

• Story Josh Daniels, Aaron Thorne Photo Kathan Ramnath

Junior Honaker travels to Romania to train with country’s Junior National Water Polo Team

by Parker Davis unior Chase Honaker treads water as he waits for the next shot to come whizzing toward him.

A 16-year-old lifts his large upper body out of the water and launches a rocket toward the upper-right corner of the goal.

Honaker lifts his arm in an attempt to stop the ball, barely nicking the bottom.

Just enough to push it over the goal and out of the pool.

But this practice is not an ordinary one.

It’s one of the 10-a-week training sessions Honaker attends along with Romania’s Junior National Water Polo Team, a feed-

J

er into one of the world’s top national programs.

During his five weeks in Romania, Honaker accrued nearly 250 hours of practice time against some of Eastern Europe’s best young players. The decision to put in all the grueling hours was an easy one, especially since Texas teams only provide a few hours of practice per week during summer months.

“My motivation for going to Europe was that the quality of play and the skill level is just so much higher over there,” Honaker said. “It’s a different game.”

Honaker believes his time in Romania

helped him improve his play as goalie in preparation for the upcoming fall water polo tutorial and official spring season.

“I think I did get better,” Honaker said.

I don’t know if it was so much that I got a ton stronger, but I got to play with these much better players, and I got to see their much harder, more accurate shots.”

One of many highlights during his time there came when the English Junior National Team traveled to Bucharest to practice with and play against their Romanian counterparts. The week ended with a match between the two teams.

“Even though I didn’t get to play in the

game because it was an official international game and I’m not Romanian, I got to scrimmage and practice with them,” Honaker said.

Beyond improving his water polo skills, Honaker had the chance to meet and form relationships with kids he would never otherwise have opportunities to interact with.

“One of the big things I liked was establishing all these connections with guys,” Honaker said. “I mean I spent five weeks living with them and training with them, so I got a lot closer to them than I would any other way.”

Sports • September 22, 2017 • The ReMarker • Page 31 Two minute drill

Football opens season on high note with overtime defeat of Greenhill 2017 RECORD 2-0 2016 RECORD 2-7 NOTABLE The 21-20 win over Greenhill Sept. 1 was the team’s first overtime win in over three years.

THEY SAID IT ”Each player on this team looks out for one another and holds each other accountable.

That’s probably the main thing that we have changed.

With that comes being mentally tougher, physically stronger and having that ‘it’ factor that we didn’t have last year. You can feel the energy of the team, and each player feeds off one another. It is really something special. — senior captain Seun Omonije

FIRST DOWN Junior Colin Neuhoff passes the ball down the field to senior Matthew Fornaro (17) during the first quarter of the game against Greenhill Sept 1. The Lions would win the game 21-20.

PUSHING FORWARD Dashing for the finish, junior Antonio Ivarra competes in the Marcus Invitational Sept 2..

SETTING UP Junior Albert Luo sets the ball for freshman Tristan Doan (back) and senior Edward Ro (front right) in the Lions’ game against Trinity Valley Sept. 6. They would win the match 3-0.

Volleyball hopes to succeed with a combination of veterans and young players 2017 RECORD 2-2 (as of press time) 2016 RECORD 17-7 NOTABLE This is the first year that a freshman has passed over JV and competed solely on the varsity team since Tim Simenc ‘15 was a freshman in 2011. The freshman, Tristan Doan, expects to receive playing time

during the team’s matches.

THEY SAID IT “We may not be the strongest, tallest or most athletic guys in SPC this year, but I feel that we have the heart and mindset to win. All the guys this year love to compete and grind through to get better.” — senior captain Edward Ro

LUNGING Slashing at his opponent, sophomore Tianming Xie [above right] works on his form in practice.

Fencing builds fundamentals and develops as a team NOTABLE The team is looking to build towards itssfirst state championship since 2001.The team, led by senior Jake Horigome-Pigg, hopes to advance towards this goal over the course of the year.

THEY SAID IT “Now that we have less people, we’re

hoping to concentrate on exercising and conditioning ourselves, so that by the end of the trimester even new fencers are able to master the basics. It will be difficult but if we’re able to accomplish this, we’ll be successful.” — senior captain Abdullah Akbar

• Compilations Colin Campbell, Nathan Han, Connor Pierce, Aaron Thorne Photos Riley Sanders, Lee Schlosser, Kevin Feng

Cross country looks to improve on last season’s success 2017 BEST FINISH 10th at Southlake Carroll Invitational 2016 BEST FINISH 2nd at Lovejoy Fall Festival NOTABLE At the Southlake Carroll Invitational, junior Seth Weprin posted a 15:56 5-kilometer time, enough to earn him third place on the school’s all-time ranking list. Sophomore twins Andres and Pablo Arroyo ran the race in 16:01 and 16:11, respectively, enough to earn them the fifth and eighth fastest races in school history.

THEY SAID IT “I think the guys worked harder in the summer than we ever have. I think that they’re pushing each other harder than they ever have before because they realize the high ability of the team and the potential of the team.”— head coach John Turek

In the picture ROWDY OPENER The fan section erupts at the Lions’ season opening football game at Greenhill Sept. 1. The Lions marched to a 21-20 overtime win, which was followed by fans storming the field in celebration.

REMARKER

St. Mark’s School of Texas

10600 Preston Road Dallas, TX. 75230

Sports • September 22, 2017 • The ReMarker • Page 32 A powerful trio of seniors have been selected with the highest honor of fandom — Superfandom.

The ReMarker sits down with the three Superfan Men to get the inside scoop on everything Super.

Rett Daugbjerg: What sport are y’all most looking forward to cheering on this year?

Will Wood: Probably basketball I think.

I think it’s cool ‘cus there are so many people indoors and it kind of absorbs the gym.

Avery Pearson: What he said.

Sam Sussman: Yeah, basketball is a pretty sick sport, although the volleyball game yesterday (Sept. 6 vs. Trinity Valley) was kind of lit.

AP: Second, I’d probably say lacrosse.

WW: Probably fencing also, I’d say.

SS: Yeah, fencing is big time. I’m big on swords.

RD: What is it like making up all of your material?

WW: It’s hilarious. It’s either improvised or made up the night before.

AP: It’s terrible.

WW: We go through so many terrible jokes, it’s like for one alright joke we probably go through 20 that are absolutely horrendous.

AP: I’m usually the one with the great jokes. These guys just take things I say and switch the words around. It’s borderline plagiarism, but I guess I’ll let it slide.

SS: Yeah, it’s a problem sometimes, but we have a lot of fun making up new material. We also try to keep everyone updated on Lions sports and scores.

SS: Yeah and the one year he did play soccer for the school he didn’t even score a goal.

WW: It’s kind of sad. We don’t want to make fun of him because it would hurt his feelings.

SS: Maybe Josh “Golden Leg” Daniels, there’s definitely a lot of material there.

AP: ‘Golden Leg,’ classic.

WW: Maybe William Hall, you can’t go wrong with a man of that hero status.

AP: You never know. Sometimes the Superfan gods call and say ‘We want you to roast that guy,’ and thats what we end up doing.

RD: Is it hard being Superfan Men? SS: It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be, honestly. I didn’t realize the work it came with it. It’s taxing, especially when you have to

spend two hours making a video about Seun Omonije that’s played in an assembly for a minute-and-a-half.

WW: Honestly we’ve been coming up with a lot of things on the fly. Sometimes, improv makes the best jokes.

AP: Yeah, there hasn’t been much planning at all, we’re having a lot of fun though.

RD: How have the fan sections been so far?

WW: They have been absolutely electric.

AP: The Greenhill game was pretty awesome. We had a huge student section and it got looouuuddd.

WW: Yeah, I think Canyon [Kyle] does a great job spreading the word about games. But it’s mostly us.

Actually, it’s all us. Canyon just sends emails.

SS: I’d agree, but right now Avery is

on the field and Willie doesn’t do much so its mostly me. I’m the big dog here.

WW: Size-wise yeah, but to be honest, we all know who runs the show. It’s us.

RD: How do you compare yourselves to past Superfan Men? SS: We’re the best.

WW: The best there ever was.

SS: People try to throw around the Graham Kirstein [’16] and Phillip Smart [’16] duo, but when they say that I just laugh.

AP: And Jack Mallick [’14], lol.

WW: It’s cute. It’s really cute.

SS: It’s honestly kind of embarrassing being compared to those guys. We’re just going to be so much better.

WW: Who are those guys? I don’t even remember those guys.

SS: We’ve got better looks, better jokes, better chants, better everything.

WW: But we’re also the most modest.

RD: Who makes for the best joke material?

WW: I want to say Houston Engleman, but he’s not in any sports so… He hasn’t played any sport ever at St. Mark’s.

• Interview Rett Daugbjerg Photo Riley Sanders

HANGING OUT Seniors Avery Pearson (left), Sam Sussman (above) and Will Wood (right) plan to have a lot of fun this year as Superfan Men.

SUPERFANMEN

Meet the...