The ReMarker | Sept 2013

R THE REMARKER

Jan Holtberg, wife of Eugene McDermott Headmaster Arnie Holtberg

“I don’t know if you know how special you guys are to us. It’s been so rewarding to see the boys blossom and mature. I really haven’t had much a part in it, but I feel like I have. I really feel like all you guys are mine.

You’re all my sons.”

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ST. MARK'S SCHOOL OF TEXAS DALLAS, TEXAS 75230 FRIDAY, SEPT. 27, 2013 VOLUME 60, ISSUE 1

FIFTY YEARS | INSIDE Administrators reflect on what diversity means to the school • page 8

Fifty years later, a dream revisited

50 years ago, a young African-American teen made history here. Today, his alma mater has more than 44 percent students of color.

Fifty years ago last month, Martin Luther King led the famous March on Washington.

He was a member of the National Weeks earlier that same year in 1963, St. Honor Society, a class president and he Mark’s admitted Smith to summer school had completed award-winning research as the school’s first student of color without on fuel cells. much fanfare. Now, the school sits at a record He was bright, charismatic and kind. 44 percent of students self-identifying as So why did parents withdraw their “students of color.”

But when Smith applied in the fall of students when he was accepted?

1964 to be a full-time Marksman, he was Why did the student receive death entering a completely different environthreats? ment. Parents threatened to leave, donors Why did some people think he would threatened to withdraw their money from “ruin” the school? the school and the Board of Trustees called a special meeting.

Because Lee Smith ‘65 was black.

HE APPLICANT was an Eagle Scout.

In the end, Ralph B. Rogers, then the president of the Board, took a determined position to integrate the school, and then-Headmaster Christopher Berrisford invited Smith and his family to a special meeting where he admitted Smith to the school.

Rogers did not face total support. He overcame a “great, heated debate,” in his effort to integrate.

“St. Mark’s was probably not ready to integrate,” Smith said in a 2002 interview with The ReMarker. “Finally, though, the school came around and took a position. I was admitted and I would stay.”

CONTINUED, PAGE 8

▶ by Dylan Clark, editor-in-chief, and Aidan Dewar, managing editor | illustration by Zuyva Sevilla, graphics director

Under Hackbarth’s direction, security cameras installed for students’ protection

By Ford Robinson campus coordinator Former SWAT team officer Dale Hackbarth, who took over as director of security tis summer, has amped up the school’s security by installing 50 new cameras around campus and utilizing the Raptor idenetification system.

The Raptor system answers the question Dale Hackbarth New security chief bringing change

‘who is on campus?’ Faculty members and visitors to the campus are required to wear an ID badge at all times. If a visitor does not have an ID badge, his driver license is run through the Raptor system, checking him on

INSIDE

local and statewide criminal databases.

“When visitors who have a ID badge visit the campus, they are allowed to come and go as they please,” Hackbarth said. “If they don’t, they are run through the Raptor system and if they have any history, they aren’t allowed on campus.”

Hackbarth hasn’t had a hard time changing from officer on campus to security chief.

“The transition has been smooth,” he said. “I’ve been involved with St. Mark’s for 20 years, so when the opportunity was given, it was a no-brainer.”

While Hackbarth wants to implement new security measures, he hopes to keep the environment wholesome and friendly.

“We want everyone to be allowed on campus,” he said. “We want a community where kids can walk from class to class without having to worry about their safety.”

NEWS

Decades after his first Pecos trip, Dan Northcut ’81 returns with son. P. 4

LIFE

“Let the students study, the teachers teach, and us security guys focus on the security issues,” Hackbarth said.

Hackbarth’s presence at all of the parent previews has allowed him to instill confidence in the parents’ heads.

“Just in the first month of school he has gone to all the parent previews,” Wortie Ferrell, head of Upper School, said. “His presentation is not only informative but it also gives the parents an incredible sense of calm. Having someone articulate the security staff ’s goals as well as he and also provide that level of reassurance is incredibly valuable.”

The security guards who work here stay here because they deeply care about the school and it’s students.

“Of all the people on the security force,” Hackbarth said, “the least tenured security guard is three years. Everyone else has been

Foreign exhange students share how they are adjusting to America. P. 14

COMMENTARY

here for longer than that, and that speaks volumes. The security force likes working here, and they stay here because they really do care about the St. Mark’s community.”

The security force has amped up security by quadrupling the number of cameras.

“We had 15 cameras going into the summer,” Hackbarth said. “We have just now completed installing 50 new cameras putting us up to 65 in total.”

Whether it be from checking lights to locking doors, the security team strives to keep the school a safe community. In order to do that, they must be observant and diligent.

“Our main goal as a squad is to observe,” Hackbarth said, “to be diligent and to make sure everything is running smooth around here. If anything is out of the ordinary, we must take the correct precautions in order to resolve that situation.”

An idea for the reduction of textbooks that go unused every year P. 17

SPORTS

The changing culture of safety in football and its effects P. 21

N

“

PECOS BONDING Director

of Environmental Studies Dan Northcut ’81 shares the Pecos wilderness experience with his son, freshman Rex. p. 4

NEWS AROUND CAMPUS

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPT. 27, 2013 | PAGE 2

THINGS TO DO IN THE WEEKS AHEAD

T

OPENED Astronaut Tom Jones visited the school Sept. 20 to promote the opening of the Rory Meyers Children’s Garden.

Next Week

> Autumn at the Arboretum continues today and runs through Nov. 27. The school hosted astronaut Tom Jones in Decherd Performance Hall Sept. 20 to promote the Arboretum and its new Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden which is opening as the Arboretum’s ongoing autumn celebration continues.

Admission to the Arboretum is $15 and the park costs $3.

> Lower School electronics Turnoff Week begins Sunday and lasts until Oct. 5. Students are given a free dress day if they can spend a week without watching TV or playing video or computer games or two weeks with less than two hours.

> Freedom from Chemical Dependency Week starts Monday.

> The Dallas Zoo is hosting a photo safari tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

> The first mid-trimester ends Oct. 4. > Next weekend is Homecoming. A kickoff party from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Alumni Commons precedes the football game against Casady.

A QUICK LOOK AT NEWS AROUND CAMPUS

• The Visiting Scholars Programs will feature Dr. Robert Sapolsky, a professor of biology and neurology at Stanford University and a research associate at the Institute of Primate Research in the National Museum of Kenya, and the Celebration Jazz Orchestra. Sapolsky will speak Oct. 9-10, and the orchestra will play Feb. 26-27.

• The Admissions Office received a record breaking 598 applications from 12 countries and 15 states, One hundred and thirty five applicants were accepted and 121 are now among the 851 current students at 10600 Preston Road.

BARCLAY AGENCY PHOTO

newsfeed

Weekend

VISITING SCHOLAR Robert E. Dennard Visiting Scholar Dr. Robert Sapolsky will lecture about stress Oct. 9-10.

• The branded stadium seats have returned to the student store after long anticipation, according to Store Director Sarah Key. Also arriving this year are branded Jansport duffle bags, new Tervis tumblers and Lion teddy bears along with the usual offerings of writing utensils, clothing and snacks.

• The school updated its website late this summer, featuring a new “My Account” section designed to be easier for students and faculty to access their assignments and schedules. Additionally, a new messaging feature was added to allow students and faculty members to communicate more easily with each other.

• Upper School students taking any history course besides modern world or multicultural malaise will be given access codes to online e-books and activities to alleviate the issue of excess weight and possible loss of books. In addition, enrollment for AP United States history was fully opened to all incoming juniors and seniors at the end of last year.

SCREENSHOT FROM WWW.SMTEXAS.ORG

he day I met him, we drew stars.

I sat with Ricardo, a second grader at the Jubilee Community Center. Tired after our tutoring session, we grabbed two pieces of paper and covered them with stars.

“You want to go to the stars someday?” I asked. He nodded. “All right,” I said. “I’ll draw you a spaceship.” I sketched a hurtling NASA shuttle.

Ricardo grabbed the papers and headed to another building, where low-income families received kids’ books at the annual Jubilee book festival. School volunteers always help out. This year, a local middle school arrived to help us out.

Heading across the grass, Ricardo handed me the drawings and his blue jacket. I looked around for a place to put them. I spotted a tree with a skinny trunk standing next to the playground. I dropped the jacket over the drawings.

We joined a line that extended out the door of the building. All around me, low-income families, mostly Hispanic, waited to receive VISHAL donated GOKANI books.

The adults looked down at their shoes. The poverty-stricken adults had to drop their egos to admit that they needed help and accept donations.

At the entrance, a Middle School teacher pointed to a pile of bags filled with books. I looked up and smiled at him, but he looked away.

Then it hit me. He thought I belonged to a low-income family in the Hispanic neighborhood. I felt a barrier between the educated giver and the lower-class recipient.

I hardly knew how to respond, so I led Ricardo to the pile of bags. We sat on the wooden floor, and Ricardo started going through the bags to find some books that interested him.

A teacher stood in the center of the room and told an older girl to take two bags. “Oh,” I said, rising to my feet and nearing the woman. “Two bags? Is that what we’re doing?”

Using my educated demeanor, my use of the word “we,” and my lack of an accent, I tried to hint that I was on the volunteers’ side, not on the lowincome families’.

“Only for the older kids,” the lady responded, gritting her teeth. Once again, I felt the barrier between the giver and the recipient. My injured pride tempted me to say, “Oh, I’m a volunteer, too.

I go to a private school.” I wanted her to respect me.

Then I looked at Ricardo. As his temporary guardian, I couldn’t abandon him. I was on his side, not on the teachers’ side. He needed me.

Ricardo chose a bag, and I walked him to the exit. “Lunch is that way,” the dark-haired teacher told me, pointing at the door. I thanked the man, who looked away.

Feeling mistreated, I saw how povertystricken people feel when they have to drop their egos and accept donations. I was still thinking about the humbling experience when the volunteers began boarding the bus to return home.

“Oh, no,” I said suddenly. “I forgot your jacket.”

I sprinted outside and found the young, skinny tree. Kneeling down, I grabbed the blue jacket. Only one paper remained under it. I sprinted back to the building.

“Here’s your stuff,” I said. I prayed he wouldn’t notice the missing sketch.

But he noticed. “I wanted the one with the rocket ship,” he complained.

“Sorry, buddy,” I said. “The wind blew it away.”

I waved goodbye to my little friend and headed out the door. Maybe his dreams of going to the stars drifted away like the sheet of paper blown by the wind. But I hope his dreams live on.

“I find computer science to be an extremely important aspect of everyone’s education...” Page 7

Today

UPDATED An entirely new design has updated the student center on the school website, www.smtexas.org

• All piano students will take the Texas State Theory Test Nov. 10.

The test is administered to all students who take private music lessons and will test the students’ abilities in note-reading, aural and rhythmic skills and symbol identification.

• Nineteen seniors have been named National Merit Semifinalists, including Dylan Altschuler, John Caldwell, Dylan Clark, Tabish Dayani, Aidan Dewar, Cole Gerthoffer, Vishal Gokani, Charles Golden, Robert He, Samuel Khoshbin, Creed Lowry, Charles Marshall, Alexander Munoz, Luke Munson, Jonathan Ng, Ryan O’Meara, Samuel Perkins, Vincent Shia and Victor Zhou. The semifinalists qualified with PSAT scores at or above the cutoff of 219 out of 240.

overheard

DEVELOPMENT PHOTO

Sheets of paper... blowing in the wind

upcoming

NEW CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER PAUL DIVINCENZO

NATIONAL MERIT Nineteen members of the Class of 2014 were named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists.

COMMENTS MADE BY FACULTY, STAFF, AND STUDENTS AROUND CAMPUS

‘You have to have the IQ of a four-year-old to watch all that reality TV. Except for Ice Road Truckers. I make an exception for Ice Road Truckers.’ — Marcus Master Teacher Dr. Bruce Westrate to his AP European history class

‘Bottom line is she wanted a simple, straightforward short story, and you wrote about a computer that predicts the future.’ — Senior Max Wolens critiquing a friend’s English paper

‘Is anyone following WebAssign on Twitter?’ — Cecil and Ida Green Master Teacher Dr. Stephen Balog to his AP physics C class

‘You can get women with a graphing calculator!’ — Thomas B. Walker III ‘73 Mathematics Department Chair Joe Milliet to his AP BC calculus class

‘I have other things to do with my life, like, live it.’ — Mathematics instructor Amy Pool talking about Facebook to her honors precalculus class

‘Señora, at least let me check my snapchats!’ — Senior Tony Garcia to Green Master Teacher Marsha McFarland

NEWS

4 Father and son Pecos 5 Homecoming 6 New faculty, staff 7 Programming

AT HOME Jan Holtberg sits in the living room of the Headmaster’s residence, where she and her husband have happily lived for the past 21 years.

unsung

J

heroine

an Holtberg watched as the tension built as the Lions fought back at the lacrosse SPC championship last spring.

With each save or score, she cheered alongside the roaring crowd of parents, siblings, friends and mentors of the players as they inched closer to a nail-biter victory.

Throughout, she smiled as broadly and proudly as any mother would.

“So, who’s your son?” someone beside her asked.

Holtberg paused. Her son, Michael, graduated long ago in 2004. None of the boys on the field was actually her child. Not even a nephew. And she’s not a faculty member, either. So why was she there?

She turned and grinned: “Well, they all are!”

••• As the headmaster’s wife, Holtberg has worked tirelessly in entertaining about 12,000 people at the headmaster’s residence over the years, writing hundreds of thank you, congratulatory and condolence notes, attending numerous student productions, games and concerts and engaging in the school community in other ways she can.

“She’s been infinitely supportive every step of the way,” Headmaster Arnie Holtberg said. “She’s been not only a supportive spouse and partner, but also someone who has been fully involved in the life of the school.”

The Holtbergs have been together for more than 42 years and been across the world together from Connecticut, where they met, to Hong Kong, where they adopted Michael, and, now, to Dallas.

“We were very complimented that he was considered for this position,” she said.

“We were very excited. It really looked like a good fit for him and our family. We thought

it was going to be cowboy hats and boots, so it was going to be very different from what we had experienced.”

As such, she sees her husband differently than his peers or students do.

“You probably see him as a much more serious kind of person,” she said. “He’s actually very funny. I don’t know if you’ve seen that side of him. He’s a great husband and very loving.”

And as a “supportive spouse,” Jan Holtberg helps keep the headmaster in high-spirits the best she can. Often, that involves putting him to sleep with a golf match on TV when he’s tired, or going out to watch a movie at the Angelika to keep his mind off of things, as well as other methods.

“Sometimes when school has been really demanding, we’d go to Frisco and stay overnight [at Stonebriar],” she said. “We’d go and golf and stay overnight and have breakfast the next day. It’s like we’ve been away for the whole weekend. It’s very relaxing and rejuvenating.”

Yet, Jan Holtberg’s identity does not revolve around being the headmaster’s wife.

Throughout the majority of their time in Texas, she taught nursing at the University of Texas at Arlington and served as a nurse practitioner in women’s health at its health service, a career she’s seen as a time for herself.

“That’s been extremely fulfilling for me,” she said. “I’ve worked part-time almost the whole time because doing everything at school and planning entertainment at home is the other half of my job. So, I’ve really been working full-time, just half for Arnie and half for UTA. It was a really nice blend.”

In addition, during the ten years Michael Holtberg ’04 attended school here, she strove to keep her son’s school career as

THE REMARKER | 3 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

Headmaster’s wife, mom, professional health care worker — Jan Holtberg is proud to claim all Marksmen as her own unaffected by his father’s position as possible.

“As a parent with a son going through, I felt that it was my job to be the parent because it would be hard for Arnie,” she said.

“In parent conferences, the teachers wouldn’t be as relaxed or open talking to Arnie about how Mike was doing.”

Among other things, however, she’s also worked in other parent volunteering services such as in student store or as a lacrosse mom.

“I did things as a mom,” she said, “and did as much as I could in being involved in what students were doing. We both really enjoyed the art, the plays, the orchestra, the band and sports events. I did not see my role as being a part of the faculty or anything like that.”

••• nd now, for Jan Holtberg and her husband, a new chapter in their life is beginning. With the headmaster’s announcement in April that he would be retiring at the end of this school year, new challenges await — leaving the place she’s called home for 21 years, the home where they raised their family.

The couple will spend the next chapter of their lives in a home currently under construction in Arkansas, where they’ve owned a condo for the last 15 years. With the deciduous trees reminding them of Massachusetts, great golf courses and fishing spots, they look forward to a quiet, peaceful time.

“Arnie says he doesn’t want to do a thing for a year, not a thing but golf and fish,” she said. “But you know how active he is. I don’t think it will go like that. I just can’t imagine.”

She feels conflicted as the time draws nearer. She and her husband have grown so attached to the school, their home and the people they’ve come to know that she wor-

A

MEMORIES Jan Holtberg holds a photo of herself, her husband and her son Michael ’04 at senior night during Michael’s senior year here. With her husband’s retirement coming at the end of the school year moving to Arkansas where they are building a home.

ries they would not be able to adapt.

“It’s very bittersweet,” she said. “He’s so busy with school stuff that he doesn’t have a lot of time to do much of anything else, which worries me a little about retirement because without you guys or the faculty and the parents and the board, I don’t know.

We’ll see. It would be difficult for me, too.”

But of the things she’ll miss, she says the thing she’ll miss the most is watching the boys grow.

“I don’t know if you know how special you guys are to us,” she said. “It’s been so rewarding to see the boys blossom and mature.

I really haven’t had much a part in it, but I feel like I have. I really feel like all you guys are mine. You’re all my sons.”

UNSUNG HEROINE story by Alex Kim, news editor | photos by Andrew Gatherer, head photographer

W

THE LAST LAP Holtberg experiencing mixed feelings as retirement approaches

hen Headmaster Arnie Holtberg woke up on Aug. 27, he realized it would be the last time he would greet the carpool line.

It would be his last chance to speak at an opening convocation to set a tone for the school year.

“It sort of caught me that, okay, we’re really beginning this journey, this last lap,” he said.

With retirement just nine months away, his last first day was filled with conflicted feelings: on one hand, he knew it’s time to part ways and allow the school to have new leadership and opportunity. But on the other, he doesn’t want to leave all of it behind.

“So much of me is here,” he said, “and so much of this place in me now. I realized that the separation was imminent, it’s really begun.”

But when he stepped onto campus on

his very first day in 1994 he felt very different.

“I didn’t feel like an intruder or interloper,” he said, “but I was clearly the new guy. I was not established.”

He knew he wouldn’t adjust right away.

But over time, he made lasting connections with students, faculty and parents. He wanted to show that he would not be separated from the fray by, among other things, greeting people in the carpool line and teaching a class in ancient and medieval history and religion.

“While I’ve been teaching class for 20 years, I was really anxious about my first class,” he said. “New students, new school, new expectations. What kind of impressions would I make on them, you know? I knew the 15 or 16 students would tell their friends pretty quickly about what kind of guy this new headmaster was.”

And the apprehension among students was there.

“I think they were trying to size up the new guy,” Holtberg said. “They wanted to know what really mattered to me, what I was going to do with and for the school.”

Headmaster Arnie Holtberg Upcoming retirement bringing reflections

Little did he know the school would not only warmly accept him, but also, after 21 years here, he would becoming the longest tenured headmaster in school history.

“I had no expectation of the length of my tenure knowing full well it might have been one year,” he said. “Who knows if things might not have gone well. A 21-year tenure would’ve been well beyond my expectations

at the time. Gosh, the time has moved by in such a satisfying way.”

The contrast is clear between his first and last first days. The school has changed him. Hundreds of meetings, countless miles traveled, assorted homilies and speeches — all add up to a legacy of service to generations of Marksmen.

And, certainly, he has changed the school. Financial aid increases, higher rates of diversity, a substantial endowment fund — all things Holtberg leaves as part of his legacy.

The veteran headmaster admits it will be hard to move on.

“There’s been so much good, so much fulfilling and gratifying in the experience here,” he said. “It’s not going to be easy to walk off this stage. It’s just not. And that last first day let me know that.”

— Alex Kim, news editor

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THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

NEWS GENER ATI ON S

OF

P ECOS

ADV EN TU R ES

CONNECT US ALL Northcut embraces his son (left) during the only time their paths crossed on the Pecos trip. Northcut seeing his son here is what he would later call a defining moment of his fatherhood. From deep within the pages of the Northcut scrapbook, this old photo (below) shows a 13 year old Dan Northcut only minutes before he departed for the Pecos wilderness.

I

Like father, like son

t connects all. No matter what courses a Marksman has taken, sports he has played or clubs he has joined. No matter if he considers himself a thespian, mathematician, jock, artist, philosopher or scientist.

If you are an Upper School Marksman or alum, you have been on Pecos.

From the early 1970s until now, every rising freshman has undergone this rite of passage.

Director of Environmental Studies Dan Northcut ’81 went through this rite in 1977, and August’s Pecos trip marked his 18th time on the journey.

But this time it was different.

This time, Northcut’s son, Rex,

was on the trip, standing in the same forest his father stood in 36 years ago.

Nine days later, both Rex and his dad came out of the same wilderness that Dan came out of when he was a freshman.

“The neat thing about the wilderness itself is that, other than normal ecological changes, the wilderness is constant,” Dan Northcut said. “The wilderness is always the wilderness. You got your trees, your flowing water, your rain, your firewood somewhere around that you need to collect. The wilderness is always the same. The paths that our freshman did this year are the exact same as the paths I did as a

Thirty-six years ago, Dan Northcut ’81 stood among the rocks, rivers and trees of the Pecos wilderness. Thirty-six years later, his son, Rex, stood on the same ground as his dad — carrying on a rite of passage for generations of Marksmen freshman.”

The paths were not the only things the father and son shared.

Rex, knowing his dad today, assumed his father purely enjoyed his first Pecos without any miserable battle. Although the 18-time Pecos journeyman now relishes his trips, he recalls his difficult experience as a freshman.

“It was just something you had to get through,” Dan Northcut said. “As a freshman I was no outdoorsman. I was no backpacker. There are aspects of it that hurt and are difficult. It’s a challenge in a lot of different ways: to your person, how you are, and it makes you think about the person you are.”

But this most recent trip, each of the Northcuts walked out with different lessons learned.

For Rex, much of the experience revolved around the battle and realizing how his peers and teachers are there to help in the wild just as they are in the classroom. On the other hand, Dan takes the trip as a time to be grounded and get back to the basics in life. ven with these important experiences still coming to Dan Northcut, he can easily say the most significant part of this trip was seeing his son midway through. Beyond being Marksmen together, Northcut saw Rex as his son who had just

E

made it through the solo and toughest part of the hike.

For both Northcuts, the connection as family and Marksman took the experience to a different level. For Dan Northcut, the experience held so much resonance because the years of tradition were now shared.

“I’ve been part of the club for decades, and now he is part of the club,” Dan Northcut said.

“It’s special. He is one step closer to being a man. As trite as that sounds, it is an experience that we both share. Fathers and sons out in the world sometimes go a whole lifetime without sharing something that intense and that similar with each other.”

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON story by Sam Khoshbin, creative director | photos courtesy Dan Northcut ’81

Seniors start STEM Initiative

Conference will bring accomplished scientists to speak, teach

By Abhi Thummala staff writer The Literary Festival has captivated students with celebrated writers for five years, and now students can embrace the sciences with the new planned Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Initiative (STEM).

Seniors Andrew Gatherer and Jonathan Ng have founded the STEM Conference, which will bring four acclaimed scientists to lecture and teach the Upper School Oct. 25.

Speakers slated for the conference are Alan Stern ’75, formerly NASA’s associate administrator and one time Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, David Genecov ’82, director of the International Craniofacial Institute in Dallas, Brett Giroir, vice chancellor for Texas A&M University and Michael Gould, director of Strategic Interactions for Texas AgriLife Research.

“I believe the planet depends on having a strong pipeline of students passionate about applying science and math

to the understanding of our problems,” Gould said, “and developing the technologies needed to create a sustainable future.”

To help Dallas through the program, Gatherer has proposed an addition to the conference, Special Projects in Engineering for Community Service (SPECS). The students would be confronted with an issue in the community, which they will then solve and execute, finishing the project in December.

“We’re trying to bring the coolest applications that we can to St. Mark’s,” Gatherer said, “to help students in Upper School and Middle School see that the stuff they’re learning isn’t for nothing, and people use it every day.”

Science Department Chair Fletcher Carron acknowledges the work of students as the driving force for both STEM and SPECS. “[STEM] is 99 percent student driven,” he said. “They’ve designed the program; they developed the vision of the program... They’ve made it happen.”

Math Team budget increased as a result of greater interest, membership numbers in squad

By Zachary Naidu staff writer In the past, Thomas B. Walker III ’73 Mathematics Department Chair Joe Milliet was in charge of driving the Upper School Math Team in the school’s small yellow buses.

But as times have changed, so has the way the team gets around. Now the problem solvers have their own charter buses and a much bigger budget to pay for them.

The team, co-sponsored by math instructors Amy Pool and Clara Ann Norman, now has 67 percent of the Math Department’s entire budget, with $20,000 of the department’s $29,900 total.

“We are a very small budgeted department in the first place,” Milliet said. “We don’t have the need for expensive supplies, we don’t have their need for materials to use.”

Six years ago, when Milliet took over as the department’s chair, the budget for the entire department was $12,400, with the Math Team given $7,200 of that amount.

“If you just look at that figure, over the last few years, you would go, ‘Wow that’s going up,’” Milliet said. “But there is a reason it

is going up.”

As the number of Middle School students who qualified for the competition increased from about 10 to 45, the department had to save expenses. Another reason for the increase in budget over the past two years has been the high-scoring performances produced last year lead by James Rowan ’13, Rachit Mohan ’13 and senior Victor Zhou, among others.

“They worked to qualify for the Harvard-MIT contest [HMMT] which we had never gone to before because we had never had a team qualify,” Milliet said. “When we qualified two years ago through our excellent performances in contests here in our area, that’s the first time we ever flew.”

Zhou is very impressed with how everybody has preformed at the weekly Wednesday practices so far.

With such a high-scoring group of newcomers, Zhou and fellow captains Alexander Muñoz and Raymond Guo know that making cuts for HMMT, one of the most competitive meets of the year, is going to come down to the wire. For them, and for the growing Math Team, it’s a good problem to have.

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

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NEWS H O M E C O M I N G

AT THE END OF THE

ROAD

Homecoming in ‘Emerald City’ promises to transport Marksmen to the Land of Oz in a new, exciting way

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ith a vibrant new theme and a host of recent ideas, Homecoming 2013 promises to be one of the most colorful celebrations held by the school so far.

After Friday’s football game Upper School students will line up Saturday at Seven for Parties to join in the festivities.

Here’s a look at what’s in store: Theme It took hours of debate, but the student council finally reached a decision: “Emerald City.” A Wizard of Oz theme was initially chosen during the two May meetings after the council had voted to incorporate some kind of fantasy theme.

But this year, the council chose to be more specific than a simple movie reference. Based on the bright green city at the end of the Yellow Brick Road where

everything glows and the parties never stop, the council hopes Emerald City has the potential to be a well-suited backdrop for the festivities of Homecoming night.

Venue The dance this year will be held at the recently opened event space Seven for Parties, located deep in the heart of Dallas’s design district.

The easily adaptable location has only been open since March and takes up a smaller space than previous venues, but it promises to be one of the most unique locations for the Homecoming dance so far.

“I think that the theme matches the venue very well this year,” council sponsor Casey Gendason said. “The green-lit ambiance will provide for a hip and trendy feeling. Students will feel like they’ve walked into a very exciting, modern

nightclub.”

New developments Several changes in the Homecoming festivities will be immediately apparent to attendees. In an effort to reduce wait times at the entrance, couples will no longer be required to take a picture together before going in.

More candid shots and a photo booth will be offered instead New food, like mini-sliders and tiny grilled cheese sandwiches, will also make appearances on the food tables.

Finally, the student council head sponsor position held for years

by Stephanie Barta, who retired last year, has been taken over by Gendason.

The head sponsor has the biggest faculty role in making Homecoming-related decisions, and Gendason has been integral in making sure the dance gets planned correctly.

Queen nominees • Grace Gilker • Mary Landry • Allie Love • Payton Scott • Dalton Youngblood King nominees

• Kellam Hall • Harrison Lin • Jack Mallick • Nabeel Muscatwalla • Harrison Perkins

Friday, Oct. 4

SCHEDULE

•

Pep Rally, Hicks Gym

10:30 a.m.

•

Varsity football game vs. Casady, Norma and Lamar Hunt Family Stadium

7 p.m.

•

Spirit party at the home of senior Max Wolens

10 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 5 •

Freshman bus leaves campus

6:45 p.m.

•

Homecoming dance begins at Seven for Parties

8 p.m.

•

Lockout

9 p.m.

•

Homecoming King and Queen announced

11:30 p.m.

•

Dance ends

12 midnight

AT THE END OF THE ROAD story by Jacob Chernick, staff writer | photos courtesy king and queen nominees

Page 6

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

NEWS N E W

F A C U L T Y ,

S T A F F

Welcome to the family

STEPHANIE PAPPAS

EMMETT GILLES

JULIE PERCHESKY

DALE HACKBARTH

JANET WADKINS

As the school year begins, new faces appear all around campus. They are found in all aspects at 10600 Preston Road, and each of them brings something different to the table, but they all share the same goal: to make St. Mark’s an even better institution.

STEPHANIE PAPPAS, administrative assistant to the Director of Counseling, will help School Counselor Barbara Van Drie schedule appointments as well as organize all relevant papers.

ON HER DREAM JOB: “A seminarian that I went to school with has been up [at a convent in Northern Greece] for years. And they started this outreach within a small hospital and other things: helping the rural sick and needy. And I’ve always wanted to experience that but realistically haven’t been able to make that decision or that move.”

FAVORITE MOVIE: Charlotte’s Web FAVORITE FOOD: Greek chicken sandwich on pita bread with lots of ziziki sauce

EMMETT GILLES, who replaced Andrew Farrar as the teaching fellow, instructs ninth graders in world history while also coaching crew and football. Gilles made the crew team as a walk-on at the University of North Carolina, where he graduated last year.

ON HIS CHILDHOOD DREAMS: “Well I wanted to be a professional soccer player. [My brother] sat down with me; he wrote out the number of kids my age, the number of kids who play soccer in college, and the number of kids who get picked out by a professional team. And then he was like, ‘So these are your odds.

If you were the best player in West Hartford, you’re odds would still be…’ and it was one over a number I didn’t even know how to understand because it was too big. So that was the end of that dream.”

NEW HOBBY: Amateur archery

Coordinator of Academic Support JULIE PECHERSKY works in the Counseling Department and will assist students with academic issues. Pechersky graduated from the University of Houston in 1995 with a master of education degree.

ON WHAT INSPIRES HER: I would just say the students, really.

I love what I do because each and every student is different, and each one is like a little puzzle, and trying to figure out how they work. And everybody has strengths and weaknesses, so I’m inspired by learning how everyone is different.”

FAVORITE PLACE: Positano, Italy ONE ITEM SHE COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT: iPhone

DALE HACKBARTH, who was previously a member of the Dallas SWAT Team, will take over the role of director of security. Hackbarth will coordinate all operations on campus that pertain to security, including staffing and installing the new camera system. Hackbarth attended Carroll College and spent 28 years on the Dallas Police Department (DPD).

ON HIS EXPERIENCES ON THE SWAT TEAM AND DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT: “I’ve seen a lot of bad out there. Twenty-eight years with DPD, it’s made me appreciate what I have, what little I have. It’s made me appreciate life more; I don’t take my health for granted.

I don’t take anything for granted anymore.”

ONE THING HE COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT: Chicken

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY story by Abhi Thummala, staff writer | photos by Andrew Gatherer, head photographer

Gendason joins Westrate as Student Council sponsor

By Kevin He staff writer Associate Director of College Counseling Casey Gendason knew he had a big role to fill when he was named co-sponsor of the Student Council, alongside Dr. Bruce Westrate.

He just didn’t know how big.

“I definitely have big to shoes to fill,” Gendason said, “and I like the challenge of having to fill them. The challenge is helping students move away from the traditional and the norm of, ‘this is how we’ve done it year after year.’”

After discussions with Headmaster Arnie Holtberg and Upper School Head Wortie Ferrell, Gendason stepped into the position Stephanie Barta once held before retiring last year after 34 years teaching here.

But, for council president Charlie Golden, such change is tough.

“We were hesitant at first,” Golden said, “not because it was Mr. Gendason, but because you’re always a little worried when something’s been the same way for so long and then it changes. But after the first meeting in the summer, I gained a ton of confidence in him and that’s never wavered since then. He’s just really great about keeping you on task, being friendly, offering great suggestions.”

For example, Gendason is trying to develop new and fresh ideas to liven up the atmosphere of pep rallies and assemblies.

“We’re tossing out so many different ideas,” Gendason said. “Ideas that haven’t been done, may be a little far-fetched, may work well and then funneling them down to what’s practical and realistic.

“We’re really trying to move away from ‘This is what it’s been like in the past, lets do it again’ rather than ‘This is what they’ve done in the past, how can we put some new thumbprints, new touches, new polish’ on pep rallies and assemblies.”

The council organized activities that involved students from all grades.

“We’re trying to develop ideas that are going to be entertaining,” Gendason said. “We’re trying to make sure there is plenty of representation across the grade levels so it’s not only seniors participating or only freshman participating: we’re trying to make sure there is even representation across the grades.”

For Golden, the attitude that Gendason brings really pushes the council onward.

“Just the way he goes about everything,” Golden said. “He’s just really organized, he’s always on top of what he needs to be on top of and he has a great demeanor in dealing with all sorts of people. That’s a skill that’s incredibly valuable to the council as a group.”

But really, this year is already moving forward.

“I think it’s already gotten off to a really good start,” Golden said. “We’ve seen a lot more spirit both at the first football game and pep rally. I think it’s going to continue that way for the rest of the year.”

Fourth grade humanities instructor JANET WADKINS has tutored individuals for ten years and taught Lower School at Hockaday She attended Texas Tech University.

ON TEACHING HOCKADAY LOWER SCHOOL GIRLS AND ST. MARK’S BOYS: “Well the one thing I notice which I think is good for any student is that we need to have variety and we need to change the pace. So as long as I do that, and as long as we make it to recess on time, we’re good.”

FAVORITE BOOK: Eat, Pray, Love FAVORITE MOVIE: Gone With the Wind

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

Page 7

NEWS P R O G R A M M I N G

A bug in the system With no computer science classes offered in the Upper School this year, new Chief Technical Officer Paul DiVincenzo will face challenges when he arrives later in the fall.

ERROR CODE 404 Working intently on a program in HTML, Sophomore Ward Rushton stares at his computer. The language is primarily used for web development purposes and was previously taught on campus. Computer science education is faltering as students lose interest.

P

aul DiVincenzo has never bought a computer. Because of his decades of computer science experience, he doesn’t need to.

Instead, DiVincenzo, who will be the school’s new chief technology officer, chooses to build his own desktops, continuing a tradition that began in 1990 when, at the age of 19, he received his first PC, a relatively primitive IBM PS/2. DiVincenzo will assume responsibility for all aspects of the school’s technology needs, including both the curriculum and the network, and intends to work closely with the headmaster and administration.

Unlike DiVincenzo’s interest in computers, which blossomed at a young age, younger children of the current generation are far less competent technically than they should be according to Marc Scott, a British computer science educator and advocate.

“It’s fantastic that everyone from the smallest child to the eldest grandparent can now use a computer with absolute minimal technical literacy, but it’s also a disaster,” Scott wrote in an article condemning the issue. “When things went wrong you had to dive in and get dirty to fix things. You learned about file systems and registry settings and drivers for your hardware. Not anymore.”

And because of this, schools are increasingly bearing the burden of teaching

computer science. However, mandatory computer science education for Lions ends after eight grade, and no computer science courses were offered for the Upper School during this academic year, including the AP course.

“Frankly, we only had about six students involved per year total in all the different levels,” Scott Gonzalez, provost and chair of the Committee on Academic Programs said. “Our school has a practice we’ve held for a long time that no class with fewer than eight students can be considered neither economically feasible nor supportable by our educational philosophy.”

Middle School computer science instructor Kurt Tholking agrees that this lack of popularity is growing problem and tries to introduce programming concepts to his Middle School students by using tools such as “codeacademy.com.”

“Our goal is to expose these young kids to coding in order to foster a desire to learn and explore more in those who are interested,” Tholking said.

Tholking hopes that his effort will encourage more interest in programming in the Upper School, possibly leading to offering the AP computer science class again. The course, which focuses on the programming language Java, was canceled following the departure of instructor Robert Kenyon and the low interest among the

student body.

“I don’t believe there is necessarily a place for teaching the hardware-based side of computing in the curriculum but I’m glad we’re taking steps to incorporate more programming at younger ages,” Tholking said. “Just like learning a foreign language, it’s much better to introduce kids to these ideas early.” owever, despite the waning interest in formal Upper School computer science courses, groups such as the Coding Club and Robotics Team are effective ways to promote technological literacy according to alumnus Spencer Williams ’12, a computer engineering student currently attending Northwestern University.

“Not only did robotics introduce me to programming and circuit design, it helped me develop the thought process necessary for computer engineering,” he said. “I decided that in college I wanted to combine both the assembly and computing aspects of engineering.”

As part of his new position, DiVincenzo plans to review and assess the computer science curriculum at 10600 Preston Road, emphasizing the need to prepare generations of boys for a technologically-immersed world.

“I find computer science to be an extremely important aspect of everyone’s education,” he said. “Technology is here, it’s all around us, and it’s needed for every

H

profession.”

DiVincenzo will work closely with Head of the Computer Science Department Dean Baird to determine curriculum and course requirements.

“If [DiVincenzo] says we must move in a certain direction, especially if we don’t have specific course offerings in computer science, then it will be up to Mr. Baird to reinstate those classes,” Gonzalez said.

“Once again, though, it’s going to come down to what student interest is driving.”

Senior Victor Zhou, iOS developer and founder of the Coding Club, believes that interest in the computer sciences is very important for future collegiate and career success.

“As our world gets more and more technologically sophisticated, knowing how to understand and produce code as well as understanding how the hardware behind all of this stuff works is becoming more and more important,” Zhou said.

“Programming will be the language of the future. If you aren’t fluent, you’re going to be left behind.”

Computer science students Year 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014

Number

17 8 14 0

A BUG IN THE SYSTEM story by Vikram Pattabi, news editor | photo illustration by Andrew Gatherer, head photographer

Upper School JETS team wins national engineering contest

IN THE LEAD The eight-man team entered the national competition seeded in first place, one of the few teams to make a perfect score at the regional event. Senior team member Alexander Muñoz and Victor Zhou and team sponsor Ken Owens cheer holding the competition trophy.

Eight Marksmen bring first ever crown home from Orlando meet

By Cameron Clark staff writer It only took them one try. They sat among 5,000 people, anxiously awaiting what everyone else wanted to hear. The results.

They got what they wanted to hear.

From June 30 to July 1 in Orlando, the school’s junior/senior engineering team attended its first ever Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science (TEAMS) best in nation competition and won first place.

The team, sponsored by chemistry instructor Ken Owens ’89, was comprised of members of the Class of 2013 and current seniors who competed in three different events: a written essay on an assigned topic, an on-site problem solving competition and an event where two team members give a four minute presentation answering a random question after doing 15 minutes of research.

Team members included senior and captain Victor Zhou, senior Alexander Muñoz,

Milan Savani ’13, James Rowan ’13, Rachit Mohan ’13, Aarav Chavda ’13, Will Chang ’13 and Chandler Burke ’13.

The team came in a close second in the presentation and the essay, but they won the on-site problem solving competition by a wide margin, which gave them the edge and the win. “(Winning) was a surprise,” Owens said.

“We certainly went in in a good position. We did really well on the first competition, which was the one we do here, and then the scores get evaluated at the local level, the state level and the national level, and we were ahead in all of those places. We had a strong team.”

Zhou said the team was still excited to win despite having some big expectations go-

ing in.

“We had the regional level competition, and we were actually seeded first in the nation, so we were the favorites to win,” Zhou said.

Both Zhou and Owens believe the team has a good shot at back to back victories in the competition next summer.

“There’s always a shot at a repeat,” Owens said. “It was a strong team, and no joke, we’ve got Alex Muñoz and Victor Zhou going back and competing again this year, and they’ve been through it once, so we’ll be able to take anybody else on the team with them if we get invited back again. So, if we go again, with the two vets on the team, we’ll have a good shot at it.”

Sophomore first to enroll in Global Online Academy

By Philip Montgomery staff writer Instead of walking into a classroom to take a class like every other student here, sophomore Bill Dannenmaier opens his laptop, logs on and begins his class in microeconomics from the Global Online Academy (GOA).

“I’m going to take microeconomics during the fall and game theory during the spring,” Dannenmaier said. “I enjoy investing so the thought of economics and helping me invest is what made me join the class. “ Students taking a GOA course can also access material for their class at any time through the Internet instead of having to wait until class time to get an assignment. Provost and Dean of Campus Scott Gonzalez is not worried about the quality of teaching even though most teachers have never interacted with the school.

“The schools that are part of [GOA] are schools very similar to who we are as far as institutions are concerned,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez believes that, as the school continues its relationship with GOA, more students will enroll and use it as a valuable learning tool.

Page 8

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

PAVING THE WAY C O N T I N U E D F R O M PAG E 1

On the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, Lee Smith ‘65 and school administrators reflect on the school’s integration and diversity at 10600 Preston Road

H

eadmaster Arnie Holtberg admires what Rogers and Berrisford did for the

Paving the way

school.

“They were courageous.

There were an awful lot of people who were adamantly opposed to integration,” Holtberg said. “But it was just the plain right thing to do. It was about justice and about equality—yes for African-Americans, but for all American citizens.

It took a lot to do what they did.”

Assistant Headmaster David Dini is thankful because he sees how students and faculty benefit from the decisions that were made 50 years ago. He sees the decision as an example of what we should continue to do, and believes a leading institution cannot just follow in others’ footsteps.

“You have to do something that is right regardless of what the consequences would be,” Dini said. “But the idea that merit and excellence ruled the day was important. Lee Smith deserved to be here, and the tremendous degree

“Some of them (parents) wanted my expulsion because I danced with a white girl.”

— Lee Smith, first African American student enrolled here.

Smith’s signature in the 1965 Marksmen.

of integrity those leaders had led them to that decision. That’s what is special to St. Mark’s to this day.

There is a willingness to stick to the mission and make hard decisions that preserve integrity.

We benefit from people who came before us, and hopefully others will benefit from what we do.”

Smith, now a lawyer at the University of Texas at Austin, saw kindness as well as animosity during his time at 10600 Preston Road.

For example, an anonymous donor offered to pay his full tuition.

“If I had the fortune to meet the anonymous donor that made it possible for me to attend St. Marks, I would say a simple ‘thank you,’” Smith said. “Our lives are connected even though we have

never met.”

Further, Smith was glad to see some students were forward thinking and accepted integration without protest.

Robert Hoffman ’65, Smith’s classmate at St. Mark’s and later at Harvard, remembered noting Smith’s arrival calmly.

“It was high time the school integrated,” Hoffman said in a 2002 interview. ot all students were so welcoming though. Smith was sent home several times during the year in order to “protect his safety” from death threats.

Even the Parents Association was hostile towards Smith.

“Some of them wanted my expulsion because I danced with a white girl,” Smith said.

The Dallas Country Club, where football victory parties were held, told the school Smith would not be welcome at future events.

Smith was also advised not to attend the Senior Party for fear of backlash.

“I was uniquely suited to this,” Smith said. “Anyone more fragile would have been messed up. Berrisford was confident that I would do well, and if I did, doors for others would open. And to this day I consider St. Mark’s to be my school as much as any other graduate would.”

Smith paved the way for where the school is today. With a record 44 percent of students self-identifying as a “student of color,” the school has undeniably changed dramatically since its inception in 1906 and eventual integration in 1963. But Director of Admission David Baker searches for many types of diversity — not just ethnic.

“I use the word perspective more accurately than I do the word diversity,” he said. “In that sense, I value all kinds of diversity.

Not just ethnicity. I think it’s just as important that we have kids in the school who have grown up in teachers’ homes, students who have grown up in firemen’s homes, in mid-level manager’s homes.

Those are world views that we are impoverished without.”

While students here may be accustomed to learning and growing amongst the diverse group of people Baker speaks of, the struggle in the 1960’s that got the school to this record point is not to be taken for granted.

Holtberg knows a large factor in the growth of students of color can be traced back to the men who integrated the school in the 1960’s.

“We did the right thing in the 60’s, which was a very hard right thing for people to do, with a lot of controversy,” Holtberg said. “Those are very brave people

N

— Tom Hartmann, Mr. Green, Mr. Rogers. And here we are, the population of the greater Dallas area has changed, we are so much more diverse than we were. And St. Mark’s now reflects that.”

Holtberg also acknowledges the fact that as 50 years have passed, times have changed. The flashpoint issue that was the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s has evolved as American society has matured to become more accepting and more willing to learn from what makes us different rather than separate for those reasons.

“I think once the school became integrated in the 1960’s, and we created a different non-discrimination policy here — coupled with the fact that American society and the population of America has changed dramatically over that period of time — we were going to be a more diverse place simply because of natural forces,” he said. or Baker, bringing together a student body that is diverse in many ways — ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic or other — provides a foundation upon which students can improve each other’s learning experience by being exposed to different perspectives.

“I have many times referred to school in general as a large conversation,” Baker said. “St. Mark’s School of Texas is a large conversation. That’s what it is.

We talk about football. Coaches with coaches, players with each other, players with coaches. We talk about To Kill a Mockingbird, and what it means to stand up to injustice. The teacher talks to the students, the students talk to the teacher and the students talk to each other. We talk about lunch, we talk about opponents on the field and we talk about how to do differential equations. It is all one big conversation.”

In making admission decisions, Baker takes all of these types

F

HEADMASTER ARNIE HOLTBERG

We need to work with, to play with, to disagree with people who are different from us.

That’s America.

Holtberg sees Smith as one of the pioneers of the school because Smith was the first trailblazer who allowed many to follow.

“We need to work with, to play with, to disagree with people who are different from us,” Holtberg said. “That’s America. That’s the world. That is fundamental to who we are. When it comes to who joins the school as a student, we want students who are up to the challenge. Students who will make the most of the opportunity and thrive. Students who will seek to contribute. That is the fundamental goal.”

Now that the school is nearing 45 percent students of color, Smith has simple advice to offer.

“When I came, there were a few people who weren’t particularly happy that I came to their school,” Smith said. “What you need to know is that St. Mark’s is not their school... St. Mark’s is your school. St. Mark’s gave me an excellent education. Take advantage of everything your school has to offer. Your classmates are your friends for life.”

SCHOLAR Posing with nine white classmates, Lee Smith ‘65 (top row, second from the left) was a National Merit Scholar his senior year. The first black student in school history, Smith had to deal with trials and tribulations but considers the school as his as much as any other graduate would.

1964 17.94 Year first student of color admitted to St. Mark’s

of diversity into account.

“I say to parents a lot, ‘What our goal is for your son is to make the young man sitting next to him smarter, and for the young men sitting around your son to make him smarter,’” he said. “The best conversations you will ever be in your life will be those in which there are a wide variety of perspectives, and we choose students who have a good perspective on the conversation. They make the conversation better.”

Percent change in amount of students of color between ‘04-’05 school year and ‘13-’14 school year

Percentage of students of color for the school year 2013-14

PAVING THE WAY story by Aidan Dewar, managing editor and Dylan Clark, editor-in-chief | photos from 1965 Marksmen yearbook

L

“

THE ONE AND ONLY The 2013 State Fair of Texas features the revival of Big Tex, a new Texas Tower and more fried food. p. 10

LIFE AND ARTS AROUND CAMPUS THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPT. 27, 2013 | PAGE 9

THINGS TO DO IN THE WEEKS AHEAD

M

y heart hurts so bad right now.

I was used to seeing Michael B. Jordan look unhappy. After all, the 26-year-old actor has effectively built his career on playing tragic characters in everything from TV dramas like The Wire and Friday Night Lights to, most recently, the excellent and monumentally important film, Fruitvale Station.

But nothing could’ve prepared me for the night I saw him in person, shaking in his seat, on the verge of an emotional breakdown.

It was a Saturday night last July, and I was attending an open-to-the-public Q&A session with Jordan in Beverly Hills after a Fruitvale screening, where he was greeted with a rapturous standing ovation for his sublime work in the film as Oscar Grant, the real-life racial-discrimination victim who was shot and killed by a white police officer in 2009.

Jordan’s performance in the film, which follows Grant’s final day before his murder on the platform of a San Francisco train station, has earned him considerable Oscar-buzz, so his ovation was beyond deserved. But as we took our seats Jordan couldn’t respond to our praise and applause with even a smile, for the night was July 13, and Jordan knew something we didn’t.

As we had been stuck in the theater watching his movie, cut off from the rest of the world, one of the most-publicized court cases in years had reached its explosive conclusion. And we had no idea.

“I wasn’t going to come when I found out about George Zimmerman being acquitted,” Jordan told us all, breaking the news to each and every one of us.

Shock, outrage and an eerie awareness washed over the crowd. The parallels between Fruitvale COLE Station and GERTHOFFER the Trayvon Martin case are far too hard to overlook.

Both involve a young, unarmed African-American man who was shot and killed by a Caucasian police officer (or, in the latter’s case, a man who may have only thought he was a police officer).

As a film, Fruitvale is powerful not simply because of its subject matter. It’s the actors who lend the film its weight. The writing and direction are fine, but the performances from Jordan, Octavia Spencer, as Oscar’s mother, and Kevin Durand, as a bullheaded police officer, are pitchperfect, gut-wrenching things to behold.

It’s not what happens in the movie that makes it so powerful. It’s the actors, sharing their souls on camera, who make the film human and relatable. Ultimately, it’s the people who make it tick: Fruitvale Station is, above all else, a people thing.

So, to come out of a film that hits on such a personal, humanistic level, only to hear that such a similar situation had reached such a similarly disheartening end was almost too much for many of the audience members to bear. AfricanAmerican and Caucasian alike, the reactions amongst the crowd were unanimously ones of hopelessness and despair. But as the crowd convinced themselves that racism in America might never be solved, Jordan offered a glimmer of hope.

“I think this film means so much, because (these situations) keep happening again and again.

We’ve just got to learn how to treat each other better and stop judging one another just because we’re different,” he acknowledged heartbrokenly, before lifting his head for the first time all night, “But know it’s not just a black and white thing…”

“It’s a people thing.”

LONE STAR The State Fair of Texas opens up today and will host activities until Oct. 30.

THE

sketchbook

Our guide told us that if we were attacked by lions, there’s nothing you can do anyways...you’re Page 11 probably dead.

Today

Weekend

Next Week

> The Texas State Fair opens today. Smells like fried-ness and F-150's to us. > Yellowcard, the hitmakers behind that “Ocean Avenue” song, come to the House of Blues tonight. Don’t kid yourself, you know you liked that one.

> It’s Turnoff Week 2013.

Come Sunday, members of the community will participate in conserving electricity and energy. > The Texas Rangers take on AL West opponents the Los Angeles Angels this Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

> Homecoming will be held the weekend of Oct. 4 -6, with the party held at Seven for Parties in Turtle Creek. > The first Evensong of the year will be held Oct. 6 in the chapel. > The week of Sept. 30 is also Freedom from Chemical Dependency, in which substance-abuse experts advise students.

A ROUNDUP OF PEOPLE’S ARTISTIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Photography instructor Scott Hunt revamped the photography program’s website over the summer, giving the website a new blog feature for anyone to comment on the photos. The website now contains at least three photos from every Upper School student taking a photography class, and these photos are all tied to the students’ individual websites.

• The first Evensong will take place Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. in the St. Mark’s Chapel. The Evensong service will include the music of English Renaissance composers Richard Farrant and William Byrd, “Settings of the Magnificat,” “Nunc Dimittis” by George Dyson and “Preces and Responses” by Paul Spicer. The fourth grade choir will lead the congregation in the singing of the first hymn. Organist Glenn Stroh will play prelude music beginning at 6:45 p.m.

• Senior Max Wolens took initiative to establish a first-ever photography auction, where students and photography instructor Scott Hunt were able to rate each other’s work, sell various pieces and donate proceeds to charity. “Last May our final critique got canceled because of the tornadoes on Reading Day, so we all still had our pictures and weren’t going to have our final exam,” Wolens said. “It was horrible, so I wondered, ‘How can I combine this horrible event [the tornadoes] and have us still show all of this great stuff?’ So I decided to combine those two, and we were able to help all those people who suffered in the tornadoes.” All proceeds went to the Habitat for Humanity of Hood County, where the tornadoes struck worst. “We raised about $8,300 and it all went to charity,” Wolens said. “All of the pictures were $100 a piece, and it was all sold at Banks Fine Art Gallery in Dallas’ design district.

• Upper School Marksmen and Hockadaisies will be performing Philip Barry’s Philadelphia Story Oct. 24 and 26 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. in the Eamon Lacey Black Box Theater. Philadelphia Story is a comedy about a young, rich woman, Tracy Lord, played by sophomore Juliette Turner, who is getting married to George Kittredge, played by junior William Sydney, when she is suddenly torn between her love for her ex-husband C.K. Dexter Haven (senior Reid Stein) and journalist Macauley “Mike” Connor (senior Andrew Hatfield). All the theatrical performances this year were chosen from the past 100 years in honor of the Hockaday Centennial, and the three plays will all be performed in the black box.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SMTEXAS.ORG

A people thing – learning from a star

upcoming

JUNIOR MATT WOODBERRY

ONE VOICE The choir will hold the first Evensong of the 2013-2014 school year Oct. 6. in the chapel.

PRIME TIME Alumnus Conner Pate ‘09 participated as a contestant in NBC’s new game show series, “The Million Second Quiz.”

• Conner Pate ‘09 participated on the new, hit NBC game show, “The Million Second Quiz,” making it to the show’s coveted Winner’s Row before his elimination. The show, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, tested contestants on trivia questions during a 12-day battle; the champions then advance to the grand finale for a money prize.

artist IN action

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

THE ARTIST Richard Eiseman THE ART Photography HIS WORDS “Yellowstone was a great place to shoot. It was an incredible environment, and that gave me the oportunity to create something very special with the colors and the landscape.”

WHAT Prismatic Springs and topography WHERE Yellowstone National Park

LIFE S T A T E

11 Journey to Africa

14 Foreign exchange students

THE REMARKER | 10 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

15 Reviews

F A I R

From the ashes

REBORN Iconic Big Tex, destroyed in a fire last fall, will make his debut — with a makeover and new voice — today.

At today’s opening of the State Fair of Texas, visitors will again be greeted by iconic Big Tex — despite his destruction in a fire last October.

F

or 60 years, Big Tex towered over the State Fair of Texas, greeting people from all over the state and the country. His 75-gallon hat, smiling face and welcoming voice are still all instantly recognizable staples of the fair.

But now, locked away in a wooden box in a warehouse full of plush sits the charred belt buckle of this Texas icon, one of the last remnants from a devastating fire in October.

When Big Tex went down in flames last year, he left behind some big boots to fill for the State Fair planners. Along with a bigger and newer Big Tex, the fair, which opens today, will also be preparing new rides and attractions for the 2013 fair, inspiring this year’s theme, “The One and Only.”

Big Tex will undergo a lot of changes this year, growing in both height (from 52 feet to 55 feet) and in the complexity of his animations.

“He’s a lot different than what it was in the past,” David Russ, games operation manager, said. “Everything from the voice up to the top of his hat is new.”

Unlike previous years, Big Tex will be unveiled today at the opening of the State Fair .

“We’re being very hush

-hush about it because it’s the one time we get to be really secretive about it and get people to come out here,” Russ said.

“They won’t even tell me who the voice is.”

Many of the new features of Big Tex are top secret, but one aspect that was up for debate was the ethnicity of Big Tex. “The majority of the people said they didn’t want him to change at all,” Sally Wamre, public relations coordinator, said. “Some people wanted him to be black, some people wanted him to be Hispanic. Some people wanted it to be a Mrs. Tex, some people wanted it to be a young Tex. Some people wanted him to have a little Tex and a Mrs. Tex. Some people wanted him to have a pet.”

In the end, the fair decided to listen to the majority and

David Russ Games Operations Manager: “This is the last thing that is left of the old Big Tex. You can tell by the smell and you can see how charred it is.”

stick to the classic look.

Big Tex isn’t the only addition to the fair this year, though.

The 500 foot Top of Texas Tower will be one of the most noticeable changes.

“This will be its first debut at the fair,” Wamre said. “It’s actually made a change to the Dallas skyline, because you can see it so far away. It’s going to have 1.4 million LED lights. You’ll be able to see those all over the place.”

This ride has an air-conditioned cabin for the hot, late summer days and can hold 100 people at a time and run at a speed of 13 rides per hour.

Another new attraction is the Flow Rider, where 54,000 gallons of water shoot out at speeds of 30 miles per hour.

“During the fair it’s going to be demoed by surfers,” Wamre said. “Here you have to kneel and be on bogey boards or on your knees or your tummy.”

The Cotton Bowl, host of several big football games this year, including the Texas-Oklahoma game, underwent some improvements as well.

“All this Cotton Bowl construction is winding up,” Wamre said. “It was part of a $25 million bond package from the city. They were adding some outside façade, aesthetic stuff to it.”

In the Pan Am Arena, ostrich racing will be held for the first time.

“There’s going to be ostrich races this year, which is going to be pretty funny,” Wamre said.

“It’s going to tag team with pig races. There’ll be 3 pig races a day and 3 ostrich races a day.”

At the Classic Coral, more than 1,000 vehicles will be exhibited, ranging from vintage cars to domestic and imported

cars, to motorcycles and boats.

This year, fairgoers can experience the power of the Corvette Stingray at the new Ride and Drive speedway, as well.

But even with all of the other fantastic attractions at the fair this year, the rebirth of Big Tex will still be the focus.

“When he burned up, we were avalanched with emails,” Wamre said. “It was a huge thing. It made international news.”

The eyes of Texas will be upon the State Fair as its most prominent icon is brought back home today.

“He was a symbol of the state fair and I’m really looking forward to his return,” said sophomore Charlie O’Brien.

Big Tex meant a lot to Marksmen and Texans, and thanks to the state fair staff, he will continue to be a part of the fair for many years to come.

“Obviously he meant a lot to us because we’re the State Fair,” Wamre said, “and if you’d grown up in Texas and you go here all the time it means a lot to you, you just take him for granted, because he’s always here.”

Cotton Bowl games Heart of Dallas Classic September 28

VS.

Army

Louisiana Tech

• Louisiana Tech will host Army at the inaugural game of the Heart of Dallas Classic and the event will benefit local charities.

Southwest Airlines State Fair Classic October 5

VS.

Grambling State

Prarie View A&M

• The Southwest Airlines State Fair Classic has been a tradtion at Fair Park for over 30 years and includes a battle of the marching bands at halftime.

STATE FAIR OF TEXAS Fair opens Today Runs through Oct. 20 Admission $17 St. Mark’s Admission free with ticket Theme “The One

and Only”

Red River Rivalry October 12

VS.

DAVID RUSS, GAMES OPERATION MANAGER

He’s [Big Tex] a lot different than what it was in the past.

Everything from the voice up to the top of his hat is new.

Texas

• This classic rivalry between two football powerhouses will take place at the historic location of the Cotton Bowl.

FROM THE ASHES story by Will Clark, staff writer | photos and photo illustration by Andrew Gatherer, head photographer

PHOTOS REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION OF TEXAS STATE FAIR

Big Tex through the years...

1951

1952

Big Tex was originally bought by R.L. Thornton as a Santa Claus for $750.

The Santa was turned into a cowboy with size 70 boots and a 75 gallon hat thanks to artist Jack Bridges.

1961 Big Tex co-starred in the local remake of the film State Fair and co-starred with Ann-Margaret.

1982 Big Tex wore a new shirt made of 100 yards of burnt orange fabric.

2002 Big Tex turns 50 and a birthday party was thrown, complete with cake and an AARP card.

Oklahoma

2012 Big Tex burns down October 19 in a devastating electrical fire.

?

2013

Big Tex will be reincarnated today at the opening of the fair.

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

Page 11

LIFE J O U R N E Y

T O

A F R I C A

Sunrise in the serengeti

Junior Matt Woodberry recounts his memorable trip to Africa, living with a tribe of Masai people in the Kenyan desert.

AFRICAN ADVENTURE (Left) Junior Matt Woodberry follows a Masai chieftain in an Amboseli bohma. (Center) A cheetah lies 10 feet from Woodberry, who took the photo. (Right) Woodberry stands alongside a Kenyan guide, Geronimo, on the border of Kenya and Tanzania.

A

fter a 20-hour flight to Dubai, a four-hour layover and a connection to Nairobi, Kenya, junior Matt Woodberry was transported a world away.

Woodberry chose to spend a portion of his summer on an African tour, taking him from the deserts of Kenya to the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar.

Upon arriving in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, Woodberry and his tour group ventured around the country before finally settling in a small village in the Amboseli region, famous for its varied desert and grassland topography.

The village, called a bohma, was inhabited by Masai people, a family-centered tribal group of herders and warriors in the Kenyan Rift Valley. There, Woodberry experienced the wonder and hilarity that comes from first-hand cultural education.

“The longest time we spent in one place stationary would’ve been about six days, in an Amboseli bohma,” Woodberry said. “A bohma is a village community, but it is just for one family group. But the family included everyone, because in the Masai culture the kids would always come back home after college. So it was this huge family of ten to 20 people living in the bohma, using probably around four huts.”

Woodberry’s arrival to the bohma was followed by immediate immersion into daily Masai life.

“At night it was a little spooky, because the hyenas were always laughing.

We were told not to shake hands with the village leader because he was of high status and on crutches. “Several days before we got there, hyenas had stormed the village and killed one of his goats. It’s a question of honor for them, so he went out to hunt the hyenas; in the process, he was attacked

by four hyenas. Luckily, he was rescued.”

In order to prevent any future animal attacks — namely from lions, leopards and hyenas, Woodberry and his group worked to create simple defense mechanisms around the bohma with the basic resources at their disposal.

“It’s hard to describe the average day, because each day we were doing new activities,” Woodberry said. “The hardest day was probably the day we completed these holes to be used as storages; it’s tough when all you have are homemade tools.”

After the storage holes were completed, the Masai people insisted on holding a celebration.

“So, the next day they brought this loud, annoying goat out and it started walking in the village. I asked someone what that goat was doing out of the pen, and they replied that it was dinner. The goat knew what was happening. Eventually he stopped screaming and just submitted to it.”

And once the goat was ready, the people slaughtered it, taking care to utilize every part of the animal.

“We had a group leader, and they

ended up giving him a machete to cut the goat’s throat. Immediately after he cut it, one of the guys from the bohma lifted the goat’s neck and put it over a bucket, so all the blood would drain.

“When the goat was drained, he grabbed the bucket and took a huge sip of the blood - it was this big ceremonial deal.

He then offered the blood to our leader, who took a sip, and then he offered it to me. I drank it. It was pretty gross; it was very warm…you know, it really didn’t taste like anything.” y observing the herding nature of the Masai, Woodberry noted several distinctive cultural differences.

“The Masai people make use of every part of the animal,” Woodberry said. “After killing the goat, they cut up little bits of the kidney and they said, ‘It’s very sweet, it’s like candy! Come try one!’ It was not sweet, I don’t know what they were talking about. One Masai said it was almost ‘too sweet’ for him.

“To me, it tasted like rubber. And then there was the eyeball…once they chopped the head of the goat off, this guy asked me if I had a knife, and I was like,

B

‘Yeah I do.’ He took it and just jabs it in and pops the eyeball out like it’s nothing.

It’s hard to fathom how much it meant for them to sacrifice that goat; they only have 15 goats.”

Woodberry’s stay in Africa introduced him to new culture, but he also witnessed political instability.

“A girl — this was the first day, too — took a photo of a Kenyan military base as we drove by,” Woodberry said.

Interfering in the affairs of the Kenyan Defense Forces is absolutely prohibited.

“So, some guards stopped our bus, waived us over, and encircled our jeep while all these guys with AK’s just sat there waiting,” Woodberry said. “Eventually our driver got out and began talking to them.

One of the guards asked, ‘Who is the blonde one in the back?’ The girl raised her hand. They then brought her down and took her camera.”

“She said, ‘I really want my camera!’ and the guy responded, ‘Do you need it?’ She said, ‘Yes.’ So he threw it on the ground and broke it, and then picked it up and gave it back to her. That was that.”

Besides the cultural immersion, Woodberry’s physical immersion into Masai culture was completely authentic.

The group had no electricity or showers during their trip. The group also took few safety precautions even though lions roamed mere yards from the camp where they slept in the middle of the desert.

“One of the days we encountered lions around 100 yards from our tents,” Woodberry said. “Our guide told us that if we were attacked by lions, there’s nothing you can do anyways. If it happens, it’s going to happen. Hopefully they’ll leave you alone, but if they don’t, you’re probably dead. So don’t worry about it.”

SUNRISE IN THE SERENGETI story by Avery Powell, staff writer and Cyrus Ganji, Life Editor | photo courtesy of Matt Woodberry| illustration by Purujit Chattterjee and Joon Park, staff artists

Evan Daugherty ‘00 to write ‘G.I. Joe 3’ and ‘Esmeralda’

By Cole Ghertoffer Life Editor

E

van Daugherty ’00 has been tapped by Paramount and Hasbro to write the third installment of the G.I. Joe film franchise. After penning 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman and providing re-writes for another upcoming Hasbro property, 2014’s Michael Bay-produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot, Daugherty has officially signed on to script the third Joe. Daugherty will be picking up the G.I. Joe mantle from Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who co-wrote the franchise’s most recent film, G. I. Joe Retaliation, which opened last March. The third film in the series, which will also be directed by Retaliation helmer John M. Chu, will likely open some time in 2015 or 2016.

Daugherty’s other recent big-screen projects include writing the Shailene Woodley-starring, young-adult novel adaptation, Divergent, which comes to theaters next summer, and the independent action-thriller, Killing Season, which starred John Travolta and Robert De Niro and opened last July.

In addition to writing feature films, however, Daugherty has also closed a deal for his first television project: the upcoming event series, Esmeralda.

The mini-series, which will be produced by ABC Studios and Mandeville Films, is a period drama reimagining of Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Instead of telling the story through the eyes of the titular hunchback, Quazimoto, Daugherty’s take envisions the story from perspective of the gypsy, Esmeralda.

The MIGHTY SCRIBE Evan Daugherty ’00 is making a splash in Hollywood, scripting blockbusters like Snow White and the Huntsman, the upcoming G.I. Joe movie and TMNT films.

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

PERSPE

By the book

With students every year purchasing textbooks that sometimes rarely get us process. Special projects editor Alex Muñoz and senior content editor Charlie

I think that physical textbooks are valuable to have, but there are definitely situations where classes don't need the textbooks they get.

— senior Harrison Perkins Personally, I see the advantage of not having a printed textbook. With our culture of not using lockers and kids carrying around two backpacks, if I can make you not have to carry around another 10 pound backpack, I'm all for that.

— math instructor Paul Mlakar Almost every year [we get books we don't often use.]

Most of them are grammar workbooks that we use twice a year. When you're having a bad day, [your backpack] can feel like 100 pounds.

— eighth grader Nick Malvezzi

N

o impending school year feels real at 10600 Preston Road until textbook distribution day.

On this day, students stand patiently in line to pick up their

books, waiting to see how big their stack will be. To an unsure rising freshman, a pile ten books high may seem like a daunting sign of the rigorous year to come.

By senior year, however, students are less frequently phased by an armful of books to carry to the parking lot. They know that a few of those books will barely be touched throughout the year, if they are touched at all.

While many books are used as primary teaching tools, others are forgotten in lockers or drawers at home, rarely used, leaving students with several questions: Who decides which textbooks students purchase for each course?

Are textbooks really necessary for some classes?

What other options has the school discussed?

The answers are found in a complex but flexible system involving many moving parts.

T

he first thing to know about the textbook system at the school is that book selection, ordering and usage is entirely up to each department.

In the Science Department, for example, the individual teacher gets to decide the textbook that will be used in the class. Department Chair Fletcher Carron believes that the teachers have the most experience with their class and should make the decision themselves.

“Because there are so many different disciplines in the sciences, it would not make sense for me to assist the biology teachers in their selection of textbooks,” Carron said. “So what criteria an individual teacher uses is up to him or her.”

On the other hand, in the History Department, every text is reviewed every two years.

“When it comes time to review, the grade level instructors using those texts will solicit new texts, I will offer new texts or people will suggest new texts,” Department Chair Byron Lawson said. “And then they [the teachers] will have a quarter to half the year to look at the text and decide if they like it.”

Lawson acknowledges that some texts may be minimally used throughout the year but points out that in his department, frequent usage of the text is not the primary factor considered when purchasing supplemental texts.

“Some of these books are chosen for their thematic importance, and understanding the big picture is far more important than the detail,” Lawson said.

“Some teachers will use books to show you what professional history looks like...for me, the book is a writing tool.”

Although Carron now teaches with a textbook, he taught for three years at Hockaday without a text, where a department policy barred him from relying on a book.

“I feel pretty strongly that teachers teach best when they do it their own way,” Carron said. “The freedom that our teachers have to make their decision is a strength of St. Mark’s. And so I lean toward letting a teacher conduct that experiment.”

While teaching at Hockaday, Carron found that the students often got very little use of their book, sometimes not even knowing it existed because purchasing the text was not mandatory.

“I think students are not very likely to read the book unless I or a teacher assigns them to read a specific section and finds a way to hold them accountable for reading that section,” Carron said.

Having taught both with and without a textbook, Carron ultimately believes that the use of a textbook is preferable.

“I think we did a great job of teaching the girls the science we wanted to teach them,” Carron said. “I think it didn’t have the benefit of neatly following along. Not that we do that here, we definitely go off on places where our

books aren’t adequate. But challenging for them to loc and find whatever was relev Within Carron’s Scienc some classes lean away from In AP physics C, for examp assigned online through a s and students use in-class le “To me it’s not a proble a textbook,” Robert He, a se C, said. “Dr. Balog does a g the material, so we really h textbook.” lthough He has the t case of misunderstoo that he rarely even p “If we ever need more ic, the textbook is there to h often, I find myself searchin formulas. It’s just more con to carry around the heavy t On the other hand, jun largely prefers the cohesion to the classroom.

“I really like the stabili said. “I know what I need t stay on task.”

Using his highlighted t method of studying for clas he relies on the textbook ju “The textbook also ma to study,” Woodberry said.

I need to study already high skim over it. Then if there’s more review with I can just portions.”

Woodberry also finds at the end of chapters serve his studying performance t “The textbook is the st

A

STACKING UP As students every year find themselves rarely using some of the textbooks that they have purchased, many wonder how the textbook selection process works.

Led by the department chairs, the sytem goes through several key players before the books arrive for the students on distribution day.

BY THE BOOK? story by Alexander Muñoz, special projects editor and Charlie Golden, senior content editor | photo illustra

Page 12, 13

ECTIVE

k?

sed, many questions remain about the textbook e Golden explore the multi-faceted system.

I think it might have been cate the correct material vant for them in class.” ce Department though, m reliance on a textbook. ple, all homework is system called Webassign, ecture notes to study. em at all to not rely on enior taking AP physics good job of lecturing us have no necessity for a

textbook as a backup in od physics topics, he finds pulls it out. practice on a certain tophelp,” He said. “But most ng online for forgotten nvenient, and I don’t have textbook.” nior Matt Woodberry n that the textbook brings

ity of the textbook,” he to be doing every night to

textbook as his primary sses like AP U.S. history, ust as much as the class. akes it a lot easier for me “I have everything that hlighted so I can just s something that I need t read the unhighlighted

that the review questions e as the best way to gauge throughout the class. tructure of many classes,”

Woodberry said. “It acts to not only supplement the lecture but also to provide questions to the student that are a direct follow up to what he just read.

That really helps me immediately understand if I’m on track in the class or if I need to slow down and reread.”

As the price of textbooks continues to rise, many departments have been looking for ways to save on the expensive price tag. But instead of eliminating textbooks, departments have been searching for shortcuts.

“Our physics textbook, for example, has jumped into the $200 plus range, which is nearly a doubling in price of what we’re accustomed to,” Carron said.

“And we thought that that was egregious, so we chose to use a loose leaf version of the textbook for about half that version. The students transported the text in folders with about 12 chapters each.”

While also saving the student from having to carry around a full textbook in his backpack, this simple change in textbook style saved the school $8000. Other changes to the school’s textbook style are occurring right now in the history department.

“We have made a subtle but significant shift to order textbooks that have an e-copy attached,” Lawson said, “the goal being that the student has 24hour access to all the core content of the class.”

Lawson argues that e-texts facilitate learning better than paper texts alone.

“I think if a kid’s more likely to have the instrument of learning with him, he’s more likely to use it,” Lawson said. “And if he’s more likely to use it, he’s more likely to learn from it.”

On the other hand, Carron prefers the textbook, where all the necessary information can be found in one easily accessible place.

“There’s something nice to be able to hold the book, flip through it, see where it ends and begins, and having that nice contained resource,” Carron said. “If you use the whole internet as a resource, it can become overwhelming. You can find a lot of information, but at the same time, it can be helpful for a student to have a single resource he can go to and trust.”

See “Smothered” for suggestions on eliminating underused textbooks, p.16

ation by Andrew Gatherer, head photographer

The Entrepreneur

Senior Tirmenstein begins textbook resale business, sees quick profit

By Ryan O'Meara issues editor

S

enior Martin Tirmenstein saw the pile of old textbooks in his closet at the end of his freshman year.

Having already finished all of the classes that required those books, Tirmenstein looked for something to do with all of them.

And after doing a little bit of research, he had his answer.

“I did some research and all of the sudden I found there’s this huge textbook market,” he said. “The very first site I found I did what I needed to do and I sent all of my books from sixth to ninth grade off and I was able to make a considerable amount of money.”

Since he began reselling books, Tirmenstein has bought around 120 textbooks from more than 20 students.

On average, he paid prices ranging from $45-$60 for each book while still making a The majority of the profit. people I’ve talked “I try and give the fairest price to are in similar possible,” he said. “Also, people are really situations that I attracted to getting instant money and found myself in that’s what I’ve done. I just pay people that summer after freshman year, they instantly in cash, so it’s a really easy and simple process.” accumulate their One of the most popular books he books and they just resold was The American Pageant, the more kind of end up in than 1000 page book used as the primary their house and don’t text in United States history classes. really do anything Tirmenstein was able to pay out an average with them. of $45 for each copy of the book.

— senior Martin Tirmenstein believes he can grow his Tirmenstein business because most Marksmen have textbooks in good condition at the end of each school year.

“The majority of the people I’ve talked to are in similar situations that I found myself in that summer after freshman year,” he said. “They accumulate their books and they just kind of end up in their house and don’t really do anything with them. Most people don’t really know how valuable books can be and how much you can be making from them.”

Instead of working a job this summer, Tirmenstein was able to use his textbook business to make money.

“This was my summer job,” he said. “It takes a lot of time and research that I’ve put into it, but it’s definitely turned into a worthwhile kind of business.”

Tirmenstein hopes to continue this business throughout college as well.

“I know in college, the amount of books that I could potentially get is going to be even larger with a larger student body,” he said. “I’ve gotten better and better at the process each summer. The profits I’ve made from this last summer will allow me to buy even more books this upcoming summer.”

Page 14 F O R E I G N

NEWFOUND SPIRIT Dancing to the music of the the DJ, German exchange student Manu Schneider enjoys the school’s first spirit party. As a junior Marksmen, Schneider served as the life of the party despite being new to the football game celebrations.

Living large J

unior Manuel Schneider could not believe how much traffic one school could produce.

As he joined the throng of Marksmen walking into school for the first time, he was amazed by all the Fords, Jeeps and Mercedes that drove onto the campus: students looking for parking spots and parents dropping off younger boys in front of Nearburg Hall.

For most Marksmen, the morning chaos is as familiar as the grey shorts they wear.

But for Schneider, everything from the uniform and traffic to the food and football games is completely new.

“In Germany we travel a lot by public transport and here everyone has a car,” Schneider said. “When you sit next to a sixteen-year-old and he’s driving, that’s a crazy feeling for someone from Europe.”

And Schneider’s trip to the campus involved much more than just public transportation. He joined the Junior Class as a foreign exchange student from Germany.

POPULATION USING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION • • •

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

LIFE

United States Japan Germany Source: National Geographic

5 percent 19 percent 20 percent

E X C H A N G E

S T U D E N T S

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Spending one of his first weekends in the United States at a college football game, junior Japanese foreign exchange student Heesuk Chung enjoys his venture through the American lifestyle with his host family: the Spangler’s.

The cheerleaders are one of the many festivities that Chung enjoyed while at the football game, a sport rare in Japan.

From new transportation solutions to fine arts, foreign exchange students adjust to the Marksmen way while thousands of miles away from home.

Schneider came through the American Secondary Schools for International Students and Teachers (ASSIST) Program, the same program many past European exchange students have come through.

“A long time ago, we had some experiences that weren’t so great before we got our program worked out,” Foreign Exchange Program coordinator Marsha McFarland said. “But it’s gone so well for the past few years.”

McFarland also encourages any willing family to host an exchange student.

“Our difficulty with the program is finding host families,” McFarland said. “Once the families host, they love it and say everybody should do it. It’s always a wonderful experience.”

Schneider is staying with the Woods (freshman Gray and seventh-grader Landon) until Christmas break and then moving to the Montgomery’s (junior Landon) for the remainder of his stay.

Another exchange student, junior Heesuk Chung is staying with the Spanglers (junior Blake) until Christmas break and then moving to the Lipsitz (sophomore Link) home for the remainder of his stay in the United States.

“It’s like having a brother for six months,” Chung’s host brother junior Blake

Spangler said. “And not an annoying little brother.”

Chung came from the St. Andrews School (known in Japan as Momoyama), where sophomore Leighton Okada is studying now and Spangler studied last year.

At 10600 Preston Road, both students are taking advantage of the unique opportunities not offered in their countries: Chung joined the choir and Schneider joined debate.

“In Japan, there isn’t fine arts,” Chung said. “[I was in music] but it was only two periods a week.”

These foreign students share something in common with every one of their predecessors: struggling with the English language.

Both students hope that by experiencing the language firsthand in everyday life, they will be able to master it.

“I am enjoying it, but the first week was really painful because I couldn’t understand what everybody was saying,” Chung said.

“But it gets better.”

Schneider believes the same and hopes to improve his English as well.

“It’s a great opportunity to get adjusted to English,” Schneider said. “At the end I hope I will speak English fluently and I can travel through countries without fearing anything and getting into touch with locals.

English is the perfect language for that.”

They are also both looking forward to experiencing the upcoming holidays, some of which are not celebrated in their home countries. Schneider is especially looking forward to Thanksgiving.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENT MANU SCHNEIDER

At the end I hope I will speak English fluently and I can travel through countries without fearing anything.

“I assume that the family comes together to celebrate the nation,” he said. “But I don’t really know. I’ve never experienced one.”

With all these things in mind, the two students look forward to a fun and challenging year.

Both have been presented with a unique chance to experience another country’s culture firsthand.

“It presents a cool opportunity,” Chung’s host father Leigh Spangler said. “It is not easy. Both these gentlemen are pretty brave.

They ventured out into a land where it’s a second language and an entirely different culture. This isn’t going to Fort Worth for a day. It’s going to a different country for a year. This is huge.”

LIVING LARGE story by Andrew Hatfield, staff writer and Akshay Malhotra, staff writer | photos by Alden James, staff photographer

FINE ARTS PROGRAM Performance Calendar 2013-2014 A complete look at Fine Arts offerings — concerts, plays, recitals, musicals, festivals > Fall • Upper School fall play: The Philadelphia Story Oct. 24 and 26 at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. in the St. Mark’s Black Box Theater > Winter • Middle and Upper School Band Concert Dec. 6 in Decherd Performance Hall • Middle and Upper School Orchestra concert Dec. 13 in Decherd Performance Hall • Upper School winter play: The Miracle Worker Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 2 at 2 p.m. in the St. Mark’s Black Box Theater • Upper School winter musical: Anything Goes! Feb. 7 and 8 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. in the Hockaday Auditorium

Performance Hall • Upper School spring play: An Evening with Eugene Ionesco: The Lesson and The Bald Soprano April 10 and 11 at 7:30 p.m. and April 13 at 2 p.m. in the St. Mark’s Black Box Theater • Upper School Orchestra concert April 15 at 7 p.m. in Decherd Performance Hall • Second grade musical evening, April 16, location TBD, 6:30 p.m.

• Piano recitals April 24 at 6:30 p.m in Decherd Performance Hall.

• Upper School Band concert April 29 in Decherd Performance Hall at 7 p.m.

• Walker Visiting Scholar: Celebration Jazz Orchestra Feb. 26-27

• Middle School Orchestra concert May 6 in Decherd Performance Hall at 7 p.m.

> Spring • ISAS Fine Arts Festival April 3-5 at St. John’s in Houston

• Fourth grade musical evening, May 12, location TBD, 6:30 p.m.

• Choir Concert April 10 at 7 p.m. in Decherd

• Middle School Band concert May 13 in Decherd Performance Hall at 7 p.m.

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

Page 15

LIFE

Greengrass and Hanks make Phillips phenomenal

I

n the spring of 2009, four Somali pirates hijacked the MV Maersk Alabama, an unarmed cargo ship headed for Mombasa, Kenya.

The ship’s captain, Richard Phillips, was held hostage on a 28-foot life boat, facing hunger, dehydration and the uncertainty of death at every turn until his rescue almost a week later. Paul Greengrass’s Captain Phillips, out Oct. 12, tells the gripping story of survival in two hours of intense, beautifully-crafted storytelling, earning a spot as one of our favorites of the year.

Focusing on the unusual relationship between Captain Rich Phillips, played by Tom Hanks, and his Somali pirate counterpart, Muse, played by Barkhad Abdi, Greengrass does more than simply recount the events of a ship hijacking. Instead, he puts us in the middle of the action, develops his main characters extensively and, above all, keeps things engaging even when the audience knows the story.

Greengrass also employs unique camera angles and filming tricks to make the film seem less like a movie and more like real footage. Styles like these make the audience forget that they’re watching a movie, allowing them to be 100 percent in tune to the story itself.

Even more impressive was the acting.

Tom Hanks dominates the role of the patient leader without overdoing the whole “going down with the ship” motif that most other nautical films are quick to hammer.

Give these a try...

If you like the real-life thrills of ‘Captain Philips,’ check out these other fantastic true-story hostage films.

Rescue Dawn (2007) In Werner Herzog’s riveting adventure drama about Vietnam POW Dieter Dengler, Christian Bale turns in another heroic performance, even if the only person Dengler’s rescuing is himself.

As a captive in the hands of dangerously volatile pirates, Hanks opts to focus instead on the emotion and fear of an enslaved Rich Phillips, making for a far more flawed and believable captain.

As if the story wasn’t powerful enough on its own, the movie casually drops in Navy Seals, (literally; they skydive onto the water) adding a lot of testosterone to the movie’s action scenes.

Captain Phillips has plenty of action, suspense, and all the entertainment you could ask for. The fact OUR GRADE that it successfuly depicts one of the most incredible survival stories of the decade is reason alone to give it a try.

United 93 (2006) Before directing Bourne Ultimatum (and long before Captain Phillips), Greengrass told the harrowing story of the passengers of UA Flight 93, one of the flights hijacked during the September 11 attacks.

A

FILM REVIEW by Nabeel Muscatwalla, reviews specialist | sidebar by Cole Gerthoffer, Life Editor T E C H

R E V I E W

iOS 7’s new, redesigned interface steers Apple in new direction After months of hype and speculation preceding a June preview, Apple’s newest mobile operating system iOS 7 became available to the general public on Sept. 18. Following a line of gradual, overdue upgrades that left plenty to be desired, iOS 7 is the boldest mobile software redesign in Apple’s history.

The layout of the lock screen and springboard is altered dramatically, the first change of its kind since the iPhone’s original design. The relocation of various features such as the lock screen and spotlight search, allows for a cleaner functionality. Also, the much-needed control center, which provides access to music, brightness, WiFi and other controls, provides a much

more convenient approach to taking advantage of smartphone staples.

Another home run rolled out this cycle is iTunes Radio, an internet radio platform eerily similar to Pandora and, to a lesser extent, Spotify Radio. iTunes Radio is built into the Music application, and offers a seamless “star” system allowing users to say whether a song should never be played again, fits their preferences or should be added to their iTunes wish list. What sets iTunes Radio apart is the integration with the iTunes music data base and personal preferences along with less-frequent appearance of shorter ads. Also, for the hipsters at heart, it includes a sliding scale of song preference from “hits” to

“discovery.”

On the less-than-positive side, Apple has yet to introduce something truly original or dazzling. While iOS 7 is a huge step in the right direction, most of the improvements are brought upon by years of customer complaints, suggestions and wishes along with concepts parallel to those of iPhone apps, such as the flashlight and iTunes Radio. Apple is on the right track to bringing OUR GRADE back Jobs-style innovation, but iOS 7 is not quite the mind-shattering revolution us Apple users tend to expect.

B+

TECH REVIEW by Davis Marsh, staff writer | photo used with permission, Apple.com

Single

Lorde – ‘Team’

THE

Grading the new singles from today’s biggest artists

H

Life

B+

ow does an independent, 16-year-old songstress from New Zealand follow up the summer’s most unexpected smash hit – the infectious, ubiquitous “Royals”? With her latest cut, the bright, synth-heavy “Team,” Lorde’s quickly on her way to being a household name, a position she’s sure to reach with her Pure Heroine album, out Sept. 30. Take notice: this girl’s about to be everywhere.

Arcade Fire – ‘Reflektor’

Danny Brown – ‘Side A (Old)’

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he title track off the Detroit rapper’s upcoming sophomore album, out Sept. 30, shows a different side of Brown. This isn’t his trademark zonked-out, circus-freak screech, but the flow of a more focused, purposeful rapper who’s finally ready to make his big splash. And considering the album was originally titled ODB, after the late Wu-Tang legend, it makes sense that this track has plenty of oldschool Wu charm.

B

I

t’s the dark, Arcade Fire disco jam you never knew you needed. Produced by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem (R.I.P.) and featuring backup vocals from none other than David flippin’ Bowie, the Canadian septet follow their Album of the Year-winning The Suburbs with their poppiest, most danceable single to date, despite its gargantuan seven-minute length. Their album Reflektor, out Oct. 28, should definitely be on your radar.

A

Sleigh Bells – ‘You Don’t Get Me Twice’

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C+

hen Sleigh Bells exploded onto the scene with their awesome 2010 album, Treats, their unique school-yard brand of noise rock felt totally fresh. Now, with their third album, Bitter Rivals, hitting stores Oct. 8, it seems like the band’s simply run out of ideas. We haven’t heard a song with this much snapping, power chords and repetitive lyrics since… well, every other Sleigh Bells song.

SONG REVIEWS by Cole Gerthoffer, Life Editor and Nabeel Muscatwalla, Reviews Specialist

Mike Will Made-It (feat. Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J) – ‘23’

Y

ou’d think Miley would’ve learned to tone down the twerking and take herself seriously after the VMA fiasco, but apparently there’s no such thing as bad press. The pop star instead joins Juicy J, Wiz Khalifa and Mike Will Made It on a new single, somehow thinking that there’s a place for her in the rap world.

The song itself has your typical Juicy J swag, your classic Wiz...whatever people find appealing about him, and your fair share of Miley mayhem.

D-

OPINION

17 Target Practice

17 Long story short

18 Qdoba vs. Chipotle

18 Cartoon

THE REMARKER | 16 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

ZUYVA SEVILLA

EDITORIALS

SMOTHERED Surplus of underused textbooks adds strain to financial resources

I

f the school were presented with a plan that could save thousands of dollars in textbook costs, teachers and administrators would likely find it difficult to refuse. The replacement of underused textbooks with online resources and greater use of the school website have the potential to save the school a large sum.

Every year, the school orders hundreds of textbooks that are rarely used in class. In addition, students often find themselves carrying heavy backpacks filled with weighty textbooks that could be ac-

There’s many things the school could do to save money on classroom textbooks. Everything from better evaluation of textbook needs to serious consideration of eBooks and tablets could lessen the financial costs to the school’s budget.

cessed online as eBooks.

Students also receive many smaller workbooks that can be accessed through online resources such as WebAssign, which allows students to work problems online and instantly see results.

We students, especially middle schoolers, can suffer developmental back problems caused by this excess weight, while valuable tuition dollars end up paying for their unused or replaceable textbooks. Here are some suggestions that could eliminate this waste of resources in selected courses: • Online resources like WebAssign or eBook versions of textbooks could replace math and science courses’ current large textbooks. These heavy, expensive textbooks contain hundreds of pages of reading but are generally used for only homework problems in

math and science courses.

• The school’s custom science laboratory manuals could easily be made available online through the school website or Dropbox.

This simple upload would save the school large printing and binding costs.

In addition, here are some tactics that could eliminate underused textbooks in history, humanities, foreign language and English studies: • Textbooks used for nightly reading in liberal arts studies could be replaced with online versions. These books, which are especially heavy in history courses, almost always are available as eBooks that can be accessed anywhere and annotated. (Pearson Education in particular offers excellent eBooks.) Since nearly every Upper Schooler has a laptop or tablet, most students prefer to have books readily

DIGITAL DEVICE POLICY

he school’s acceptable use policy for cell phones was on a trial basis last year, allowing students to use their cell phones in the Centennial, Hoffman and Science Building lounges for academic purposes only.

In spite of the administration’s willingness to expand the use of digital devices on this trial basis, students continue to violate this rule. They continue to stroll through the hallways, chow down in the Great Hall and run around the courtyard — all the while fiddling their thumbs on the keyboards of their smartphones.

This is unacceptable.

This policy recognizes students needs to stay connected and encourages Marksmen to use their phones for emails, texts and calendar use — all key organization tools — in appropriate venues. But the burden falls on students to follow the rules or lose these privileges.

The administration has confirmed that the trial period is still in effect, as the rules and regulations continue to be adjusted.

This policy provides Marksmen with the opportunity to access and use technology. However, it’s up to the students to use it correctly – not exploit it.

VISHAL GOKANI

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Cell phone trial period continues

available online.

• Large poetry books and historical reference books could be eliminated.

Students only use these supplemental books a few times every year and refer to only a few of the books’ poems and articles. Instead, students could access poems, primary sources and reference articles via links or downloads on the school website.

• Expensive books that contain paper-writing formats and grammar rules could be replaced with standard online packets that all teachers could share.

Students could download packets that summarize all necessary grammar concepts and paper format rules. Students refer to only a few pages in the current books. hese adjustments could save resources and ease the burden on grow-

T

ing students’ backs. Since eBooks have no printing and binding costs, are readily accessible and can be annotated if necessary, it seems logical to obtain access to eBooks whenever possible.

It also seems practical to use downloads of handouts and online resources, which do not require printing costs, instead of entire textbooks and supplemental reference books that go largely unread.

We hope the school considers this combination of online technology and practicality to save financial resources. We hope teachers will consider these suggestions for their classrooms and eliminate unnecessary books from their curricula.

These financial resources can then be put to use wherever necessary.

See ‘By the book?’ for a look at the process behind textbook ordering and distribution, p.12-13.

SECURITY

Further safety instruction welcome

W

e applaud the school’s on-going efforts to improve the school’s security. The addition of exterior security cameras, increases in the number of off-duty policemen and closer scrutiny, including background checks, of all campus visitors, should give students and faculty a better sense of security here.

In addition, the appointment of Dale Hackbarth, a former senior corporal of the Dallas Police Department’s SWAT team, as director of security definitely helps everyone feel safer on campus.

We are pleased that the administration is going even further to secure the school’s safety.

Faculty and staff members have received extensive training on what to do —­­and what not to — in the event of a campus emergency – certainly a laudable education for the adults in our community. We are

pleased that students will receive similar information in the future.

Training, whether in the form of physical drills or informative assemblies, will be implemented so that students can follow a specific course of action should an emergency arise.

It is important for students to know when to follow a teacher’s instructions, what to do if an adult isn’t present and where to go if seeking shelter.

The school will be much safer now that the administration is acting on this issue. And more importantly, teachers and students will both be better prepared for a potential emergency.

The school has taken enormous strides in increasing campus security, and we feel that this education will truly make all the difference in securing the safety of all members in our community.

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

Page 17

OPINION

The hit and learn

CHARLIE

Golden

LONG STORY SHORT concise opinion

•••

Unfortunately, the story doesn’t end there. My father was upset enough for both of my parents, and a few days later, I got a phone call from the woman whose car I hit.

Of course, the estimate for the repair was about eight times what I thought it should be. And after several back-and-forths with the woman, the situation is just now resolved.

OPENING UP THE leadership and ethics program to all students with the new Leadership and Ethics Council has allowed interested students to become involved. This has allowed many to learn from Dr. Stegemoeller and has promoted unity across grade levels. We commend the Leadership and Ethics program for the new approach.

the so-so THE NEW SHOWER curtains in the Middle School locker room replaced the shredded old curtains, which barely covered the shower entrance.

However, some showerheads in both the Middle and Upper School locker rooms need to be replaced.

the bad ATHLETES WHO practiced over the summer lost everything kept in their lockers. Cleaning crews broke locks and disposed of the equipment inside.

Athletes need a warning before the summer locker cleaning to avoid losing their valuables.

•••

It still bothers me that I didn’t immediately and leave a note, that my first instinct was to run from a problem.

But I’m thankful every day for Dylan Kirksey.

Because without his example in the back of my mind, I would have left and not came back. And I wouldn’t be sleeping soundly knowing that eventually, I did the right thing.

target

the good

SHOURYA KUMAR

•••

The damage was next to nothing — a paint scratch on the driver’s door — but that didn’t matter.

It was still enough to be noticeable.

So at that point I did the worst thing I could have done: I panicked, and I sped off.

I don’t know what made me bail. I think if the parking lot had been empty, I would have immediately done the right thing and left a note. And while no one seemed to notice what had happened, I had a terrible, terrible fear deep down that the owner would come out and confront me, or that someone else would see me, and I got in my car purely out of instinct.

So I drove.

I headed over to the concluding meeting of the workshop we had that day to meet up with the rest of the group.

On the way over, I entertained the thought that this whole ordeal was over. That people do stuff like this all the time without coming forward, and that it’ll be fine. And, perhaps worst of all: It’s a Mercedes, I’m sure they’ll have the money to cover it.

But this thought was quickly replaced by another one: Dylan Kirksey didn’t do this.

I thought back to the assembly last year where Mr. Ferrell pointed out then-Senior-Class-president Dylan Kirksey and applauded him for not thinking twice about leaving a note on a car that he thought he may have hit. For stepping up and doing the right thing. For setting an example as a leader.

And here I was, in just as big as a leadership position at this school one year later, confident that I had scratched this car. And I was fleeing the scene of the crime.

I was already late heading to the meeting. I decided that I would go, and I would race back to that Good Eats parking lot as soon as we were done and if

the car was still there, I would leave that note. It was still not exactly the right thing to do. But I went with it.

The meeting went well. We discussed a lot of new ideas for this year’s paper, and I was able to make meaningful contributions.

But the entire time, that Mercedes was in my head.

Finally the meeting ended, and I sped back to that parking lot. Thankfully, about an hour after the incident, the car was still there.

I scribbled three haphazard sentences on a napkin, left my phone number, and tucked the brown paper under the windshield wiper.

I drove home thinking about how I would tell this to my mom, and I came up with nothing good.

As I walked through the door, words started coming in short bursts: I was leaving Good Eats and wasn’t paying attention I scratched the back of a Mercedes.

I panicked and went to a meeting and felt really guilty so I sped back to put a note on the car and I’m really sorry and it shouldn’t be more than a few hundred dollars.

All those words in about 15 seconds, and my mom spent the same amount of time doing nothing but looking at me in the eyes.

No idea what was coming next — I’d never been in this type of situation before.

What came was a long hug, and nothing else.

She said I love you then walked upstairs. She didn’t need to add anything more.

I felt a lot better.

SHOURYA KUMAR

I

t took two seconds of carelessness to undo 18 months of cautiousness.

Leaving Good Eats after a ReMarker dinner at the end of the summer. I was backing my car out of the parking lot, trying to get on the road as quickly as possible. But before I even shifted out of reverse, I heard the worst sound of friction you can hear, like an eraser dragged across a wooden table.

It took me a second to even recognize what I had just done. I hopped out of my car to confirm my worst suspicion.

I had just backed into a nice Mercedes in a parking lot full of people.

Long Story Short compiled by Vishal Gokani, opinion editor

p r a c t i c e Caesar salad | Almost legendary

I

t is as though Caesar himself made the chicken Caesar salads that occasionally pop up in the sandwich bar. After fighting a raging band of Galician tribesmen on the western front of his empire, he’d eat that salad, or we would after some rough morning classes. Great lettuce texture. Excellent cheese quality. Just one thing: despite the excellence, the cheese amount could be cut to 75 percent. Et tu Brute?

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What’s hitting - and missing - the target at 10600 Preston Road

Hawaiian theme Friday | Dead center

S

pot on, Senior Class. That’s a bullseye.

When the Class of 2014 strolled on to campus at 8 a.m., teachers and students alike thought they had just walked off a plane from vacation. With shirts half-buttoned and sparse chest hairs piercing spectating eyes, seniors succeeded in making calculus as entertaining as a Hawaiian beach. With the killer combination of khaki shorts and Sperrys and ankle socks, anyone could tell you that 10600 Preston Road is the new Hawaii.

Pep rallies | Middle ring

he painful awkwardness of the ghosts of pep rallies past lingers, but this year’s first two pep rallies have seemingly turned a new leaf. Sure, we still have the technical difficulties with the microphone cutting out, but what would a pep rally be without either that or an uncomfortably long pause waiting for music to start playing? The new activities — Rubik’s Cubes, obstacle courses and mechanical bulls — are entertaining, and the tradition of the mascot’s awesome dancing routine lives on.

L

Alma Mater bells | Off-target

ook, don’t get us wrong, we love the Alma Mater. And we love the bell tower.

But every morning at 7:55 we go through the same thought process: Oh cool, the bells are playing. Nice, it’s the Alma Mater.

We love St. Mark’s! And then that extra note plays during the climax of the song, changing the lyric from “Oh, St. Mark’s!” to the less catchy and less rhythmic, “Oh St. Mark’s…Mark’s.” It’s a major buzz kill, and we wish it were fixed so we could belt the Alma Mater proudly every morning.

Page 18

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

OPINION

squaringoff Editorial Board members Aidan Dewar and Charlie Golden square off on burritos

Qdoba

C

huck, I’ll answer your question with another question: Do you have taste buds?

If so, Chipotle is your best option. The main ingredient in their meat is flavor, something Qdoba could learn a lot from. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world. And while you’re at it go to Chipotle over Qdoba.”

Since you seem to love lists, I’ll give you 3 reasons to go to Chipotle.

• Ingredients: The ingredients at Chipotle are organic. This means they are not only delicious but also nicer to animals. Chipotle massages the chickens’ shoulders and hand feeds the cows organic grapes while fanning them with leaves. Qdoba cows are on as much growth hormone as Adrian Peterson.

• Chips: The chips at ‘potle are fantastic. They’ll change your life. One’s thought process during eating a chip from CHIPotle (sorry) goes something like this: “Oh cool, a chip. Wow, this is crunchy. And delicious. Wait.

Is that a perfect amount of salt and a hint of lime? Yes, yes it is.”

• Also, if that doesn’t convince you: A chipotle is a delicious pepper. A qdoba is…nothing. That’s right, it’s not a Spanish word. I think it may be Sanskrit for “solid, but not quite as good as Chipotle.” So if you don’t like words that exist, head on over to ‘Doba. Sounds like your kind of place, eh Charlie?

The great burrito question

CONNER OLSON PHOTO

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here are few things more important than a burrito in a teenage male’s life.

And with regard to burritos, if you’re in the mood for grunge music and hoop earrings, by all means, head over to Freebirds. Otherwise it comes down to Qdoba or Chipotle.

There are three reasons why Doba is the clear winner.

• Queso. Does it make the entire meal stick to the roof of your mouth? Sure. Do I care? Obviously not. It’s already game over, but I’ll keep going.

• Hospitality. The staff at Qboda is always courteous, and Student Tuesdays help you save a few sheckels. Also, how great are those little cups? I never know if I’m supposed to pay for them or if they’re free for students, but the rush of not knowing if I’m stealing is just the pick-me-up I need.

• This one’s the most important: It doesn’t destroy your insides. There’s a reason why South Park abused Chipotle in one episode, and it’s because Chipotle abuses your stomach every meal without fail.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but the feeling of two alley cats clawing their way through my digestive tract is not an aftertaste I enjoy. If you think the tiny shards of fiberglass in Chipotle steak are an acceptable substitute for queso, then shop Chipotle. Seriously, what is in their meat, Aidan?

Chipotle

Aidan Dewar

Charlie Golden

SHORT & TWEET

#selfiefriday | Cartoon Zuyva Sevilla and Nabeel Muscatwalla

A peek at Marksmen’s tweets

@

Realizing that I need to stop tweeting so that I can shower

@

I recommend The Conjuring to anyone with no eyes or ears and a tame bladder.

-Junior Corson Purnell

@

Did anyone go to UT this weekend?

Bnaffy

purnellc71

#wastingwater

-Junior Ben Naftalis

#couldntcareless Giley Raham #pleasepostmorepicturestofacebook #OleMiss -Senior Riley Graham

@

ZachPapin

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Trying to write a paper and not check fantasy is impossible

#NFLGameDay

-Senior Zach Papin

REMARKER STUDENT NEWSPAPER

editor-in-chief creative director issues editor managing editor senior content editor business manager opinion editor graphics director head photographer special projects editor

Dylan Clark Sam Khoshbin Ryan O’Meara Aidan Dewar Charlie Golden John Caldwell Vishal Gokani Zuyva Sevilla Andrew Gatherer Alexander Munoz

news editors Alex Kim Vikram Pattabi life editors Cyrus Ganji Cole Gerthoffer sports editors Matthew Conley Teddy Edwards deputy opinion editor Shourya Kumar

campus coordinator Ford Robinson reviews specialist Nabeel Muscatwalla copy editor William Sydney staff artists Purujit Chatterjee, Joon Park staff photographers Halbert Bai, Harrison Chen, Arno Goetz, Riley

Graham, Alden James, Graham Kirstein, Cameron Lam, Adam Marchant, Tim O’Meara, Connor Olson, Nico Sanchez, Mason Smith, Corbin Walp staff writers Nick Buckenham, Jacob Chernick, Tabish Dayani, Will Forbes, Richard Jiang, Bradford Beck, William

Caldwell, Cameron Clark, Will Clark, Andrew Hatfield, Kevin He, Noah Koecher, Akshay Malhotra, Davis Marsh, Roby Mize, Philip Montgomery, Zachary Naidu, Matthew Placide, Avery Powell, Anvit Reddy, Philip Smart, Abhi Thummala, P.J. Voorheis staff assistants

Rish Basu, Aiden Blinn, Daniel Cope, John Crawford, Corday Cruz, James Hancock, Easton Honaker, Nolan Jenevein, Shaheer Khan, Case Lowry, Aidan Maurstad, Crawford McCrary, Rohil Rai, Gopal Raman, Ethan Shah. adviser Ray Westbrook

student newspaper of st. mark’s school of texas • dallas, texas 75230 • 214.346.8000 • www.smtexas.org/remarker Coverage. The ReMarker covers

topics, issues, events and opinions of relevance and interest to the St. Mark’s School of Texas community.

Letters. Send submissions to the editor at 10600 Preston Road, Dallas, 75230 or via email at remarker@ smtexas.org. Letters should be brief and signed, although the writer may request anonymity. Letters may be rejected if libelous or obscene material

is contained therein.

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will be presented in each issue in the form of editorials, which are clearly labeled and appear on the Opinion pages.

Columns. Personal opinion is expressed through by-lined columns, which appear throughout the publication.

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Distribution. Press run is 3,800 copies.

Copies are provided free of charge to students, faculty and staff at various distribution sites on campus and at our sister school, The Hockaday

School. More than 2,600 copies are mailed out to alumni courtesy of the school’s offices of External Affairs, Development and Alumni divisions.

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S

SPORTS AROUND CAMPUS THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPT. 27, 2013 | PAGE 19

The things we remember

upcoming

SPORTING EVENTS IN THE WEEKS AHEAD

Today

AND THEN we started to play. We took the ball at half court, only to be told that at Colegio Salesiano, they always play full court.

What was the point of not using the whole thing?

And then those two 13-year-old Peruvian students dominated us. They ran us up and down the court, filled with energy — crossing us over, stealing the ball and laughing as they did it.

Obviously this was because of the altitude — our mile times would have needed calendars instead of stop watches at 11,200 feet — but we lost with smiles on our faces because it was so much better than sitting on our phones in the hotel lobby.

After all, why would we come to Peru just to see what was going on in Dallas?

After that first day, I never thought anything more of it. We just played basketball.

We left Don Bosco to meet our host families the next day, and I never saw those two kids again.

I never even learned their names. It didn’t really matter anyway, I was sure I’d forget we had even played by the end of the trip.

Then I thought about it. How many people get to do this? Even if I had gone to Peru on a family vacation, we never would have stayed in the heart of the city adjacent to a school.

We get some of the best opportunities here, and they become so easily forgotten.

So I’ve started to really think about every opportunity I get here, and I’ve decided that the best moments come from the things we can do outside of school. Whether that’s a big community service project, an SPC championship, or an immersion trip to Peru.

These are the things that shape us, the things that start conversations, the things that we remember.

After I really thought about this trip, I realized that this extra work is the most memorable.

Weekend

> Lions varsity football will travel to Oakridge and play at 7 p.m.

I

t’s the kind of thing you take for granted.

The kind of thing you never think about after it’s over.

Sitting around at Hotel Don Bosco in Cusco, Peru, my friends and I couldn’t think of anything better to do than make use of the fast wifi. It was like we were just in Dallas again.

We talked about what other people were doing back in Dallas, how the Rangers did last night and some hilarious tweet we saw.

Then, I saw a half deflated basketball behind the front desk. I ran over and asked if they had a pump and where we could find a hoop.

The lady behind the desk told us that the hotel shared two full size courts with the nearby middle school, Colegio Salesiano.

It took some convincing — altitude sickness had already taken its toll on most of us — but four MATTHEW of us headed CONLEY toward the court.

Both courts were taken by practicing middle school students, and we were about to head back when two students — about 13 years old — asked us if we wanted to join, in Spanish of course.

So we said yes.

We taught them how to post up, how to shoot a three pointer, and showed them our best moves.

“

SENIOR DREW BALOG

It basically shows us what injury to treat before it happens so we can prevent it from happening. Page 22

IN THE POCKET Senior quarterback John Webb drops back for a pass for the football team. p. 23

> Varsity volleyball takes on SPC rival Greenhill at Greenhill in a rematch of last year's SPC championship game.

> Both cross country teams will compete in the Ken Garland Northwest High School Invitational at the University of North Texas golf course in Denton. The races begin at 9 a.m.

Next Week > Junior varsity football plays against Fort Worth Country Day in Norma and Lamar Hunt Family Stadium Oct. 3. > The cross country teams will run in the Trinity Valley Invitational in Fort Worth Oct. 5.

OUT OF THE GATES Junior Chris Carter strides across a field for the cross country team.

tip-off

A ROUNDUP OF STUDENTS’ ATHLETIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Ten athletes from the class of 2013 are playing college sports. Harrison Quarls is rowing at Trinity College, Paul Gudmundsson is playing football Dartmouth, George Law is playing football at Davidson, Bear Goldstein is playing lacrosse at Princeton University, Justin Harvey is playing lacrosse at Dartmouth, Kareem Itani is playing soccer for MIT, Deshawn Nembhard is playing soccer for SMU, Cameron Hillier is playing tennis at Colgate College, Kendrick Spraglin is running track at Texas Tech University, and Warren Smith is playing water polo at Brown University.

fencing picture

• New fencing coach Hossam Mahmoud has joined the St. Mark’s fencing team as an assistant coach. Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Mahmoud spent nine years with the Egyptian Epee team and coached in Egypt for six years before coming to America. He has been in Dallas coaching at the Texas Institute of Fencing for ten years. Mahmoud also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Alexandria University in Alexandria, Egypt.

• The Dallas Morning News has ranked the Lions football team third in the small Dallas private schools division of its preseason poll. The team has lived up to this ranking with its 2-1 record.

•The JV football team has started its season with an 0-2 record. After narrowly losing 6-0 to the Mart Panthers in the season-opening game Sept. 5, the team played a close game against Cistercian Sept.

11. The predominantly-freshmen team took an early lead by performing a double pass leading to an 80 yard touchdown by freshman Rish Basu. However, Cistercian came back in the fourth quarter to win the game, 22-20.

SWORDS IN HAND Coach BJ Bernadas coaches junior Brody Ladd.

• Both of the JV volleyball teams are off to undefeated starts this season. The “Veterans” beat the Trinity Valley Trojans 2-0 Sept. 3 and returned to defeat the Greenhill Hornets at home 2-0 Sept. 12. The “Rookies” team also succeeded in defeating Trinity Valley 2-0 Sept. 3.

In addition, Jonathan Hawkins ’03 has stepped in as the new coach of the rookie team.

• SPC tournaments for both the fall and winter rotations will be held in Dallas. Boys volleyball will be held at Trinity Valley, and the location for football is to be determined. St. Mark’s will host Division 1 boy’s soccer as well as wrestling this winter, Feb. 15 and 16.

stat box

OUT OF REACH Justin Jones rushes past Mart’s defensive line in the Lion’s season-opening 40-20 win Sept. 6. The junior finished the game with 10 carries for 56 yards against the Panthers.

STATISTICS AROUND CAMPUS

PROGNOSTICATING is fun. Just ask any

sports fan and he or she will be quick to give an opinion on the upcoming season. The Rangers? Another losing trip to the World Series. The Cowboys? Who knows which team will show up on Sunday. And our Lions?

Well, here’s our take. For those who would call us disloyal over the 4-win possibility, well, as sports writers, we have to be open to all possibilities. But, if we were placing bets, well, we’d put more on a big win season.

THE SPORTS BAR An over-under win estimate for Coach Bart Epperson’s football team

4 WORST SCENARIO 4 wins Yes, we know: the Lions already have two wins and are looking strong. However, a worst case scenario could evolve if the team was hit with a series of seasonending injuries to key players.

5 LOW 5 wins If the offensive line can’t hold the pocket. Or if QB Webb gets sacked more than four times a game. Or if the secondary can’t keep up with opponents’ wide receivers.

7 8

HIGH 7 wins If the offensive line remains strong and if Webb gets that magic 3,000 yards the Lions could win them all.

Oh, yes, the defense needs to hold to 17 ppg, too.

SPORTS

21 Injuries

22 On air sports radio

23 Fall preview

24 Sports science

THE REMARKER | 20 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

Softer or safer?

As football season picks up again, coaches find themselves more and more restricted by new rules protecting players from the dangers of heat and contact during two-a-days. But with all the new safety requirements in place, has football become a softer sport?

O

ne little cup of water. That was it.

If you spilled it while running between stations? Tough.

To the coaches, heat made players strong, and water breaks made you weak.

For head football coach Bart Epperson, and defensive coach Russell Labhart, that’s the way practices were run during their college years. If it were hot, they’d sweat it off, if they only got one cup of water during a three-a-day, they’d deal with it. After all it’d only make them stronger.

But over the past generation, football conferences have become increasingly concerned with the safety of both players and coaches. Coaches have had to change practices and training exercises to accommodate new rules, ending the days of Bear Bryant’s Junction Boys and three-a-days with one little cup of water.

This year, two-a-days must be in the morning and at night to avoid the midday heat, water breaks are required, full-contact tackling has been limited to ninety minutes a week and you cannot have two two-a-days in a row. These new regulations have created concern that football is increasingly becoming a “softer sport.”

To Epperson, football has simply advanced with technology.

“I don’t think football has gotten softer,” Epperson said. “There’s more classroom teaching and visual learning.

Back in the day, we didn’t have all these software programs where the kids can be in the classroom and see your whole playbook. Back in the day, we were out there on the field, and this is it, we’re doing

it right here. Now, there’s more knowledge based in teaching a player than there was in the past.”

In addition to new training techniques and practice plans, advances in pads, sports medicine and football equipment have also significantly affected the game.

“The world of high school sports has changed dramatically since the early ‘70s when I was in high school,” Athletic Director Mark Sullivan said. “Technology is far more advanced, so things like the equipment worn and playing surfaces have changed significantly. Also, our knowledge in the areas of sports medicine and athletic training is much more advanced than in those days. We simply know things about the body and its recovery that we didn’t know then.”

What were once brutal practices, where kids learned to be tough, can now be cut down and simplified, making the practice safer for the players and more productive for the team.

“It was pretty much overkill during those three-a-days,” Epperson said. “We get a lot done now with getting the guys mentally focused and where they need to be just by the nature of business and how it’s evolved to where you don’t have to sit there and pound somebody seven or eight hours on the field, when you can get out there and be extremely effective and get just as much work in two hours or so. “ For Labhart, who is a proponent of the modern, safer practices, the trick is to keep the toughness and mental strength

boys would gain in the heat of two-a-days, while also keeping the boys out of dangerous practices.

“Safety is the biggest thing,” Labhart said. “I would never want a boy to get injured under my watch. I have a saying: football is a collision sport not a contact sport. It’s unnatural to put a bunch of garb on and run full speed at another man.

It’s truly an unnatural act. Some boys take to it better than others but it’s truly unnatural. What’s interesting at St. Mark’s is there’s always some boys who say to us [the coaches] ‘I don’t know how to get angry, I’m not an angry person, that’s not natural for me.’ We try to talk to them about having a pride about themselves on the field and tell them it’s not about getting angry, its about having controlled aggression.”

Mixing intensity and safety is one of the most challenging parts of Epperson’s and Labhart’s jobs.

“All the new changes didn’t affect us,” Epperson said. “We just aren’t three or four men deep at each position. We really have to get our practice schedule just right and balance when we’re going to hit and when we’re going to teach.”

Although the rules may continue to change, football remains the sport played and loved by generations and will remain that way for generations to come.

“Football has changed in terms of the way offense and defenses play,” senior captain and quarterback John Webb said.

“But it’s still the same great game played for generations before us.”

SOFTER OR SAFER story by Teddy Edwards, sports editor and Tabish Dayani, staff writer | photo by Mason Smith, photographer

MASON SMITH PHOTO

‘

Technology is far more advanced, so things like the equipment worn and playing surfaces have changed significantly...

We simply know things about the body and its recovery that we didn’t know then.’ — Athletic Director Mark Sullivan

‘ SAFE AND SOUND As new regulations change the way coaches run two-adays, there are worries football is becoming a “soft” sport.

We just aren’t three or four men deep at each position. We really have to get our practice schedule just right and balance when we’re going to hit and when we’re going to teach.’

— Head Football Coach Bart Epperson

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

Page 21

SPORTS I N J U R I E S

T

PREDICTING

step by step

the

he Functional Movement Screen consists of seven exercises. They range from squats to pushups, and each exercise is graded on a scale of zero to three. The final score tells the trainer what parts of the body need attention.

Varsity football captain Victor Calvillo goes through the test.

INJURY

THE STEP OVER The step over measures hip flexion, hip tilt, coordination and balance.

The athlete steps over a rubber band with one foot and must maintain balance while doing it. Any pain scores an automatic zero out of three.

PLAYING IT SAFE Using the equipment of the Functional Movement System, athletic trainer Matt Hjertstadt and student trainer Drew Balog are able to predict possible points of injury on athletes and help work with them to avoid future injuries.

W

e see it every season, star athletes giving up dreams as a result of injury.

Starting players sit on the bench, watching teammates take over the starting roles. Injuries end seasons. Even worse, they end chances at college play.

And there’s no fast way to recover from one. But what if we could stop them from happening in the first place?

Athletic trainer Matt Hjertstedt and senior Drew Balog may be able to do just that.

THE LUNGE The lunge tests tightness in hip fluxers, knee tracking problems, quad strength, balance, range of motion in the ankle, and patellofemoral dysfunction and balance. This lunge scored a two.

Starting this year, Balog will be in charge of the Functional Movement Screen, a ranking and grading system that targets limitations in the body and recommends exercises to prevent injuries from occurring. And it’s already working.

“I feel like 90 percent of my job is injury prevention,” Hjertstedt said.

“Whether it’s taping or rehabbing post injury. This is taking the injury prevention to the next level.”

Because of the business Hjertstedt faces on a daily basis, he is letting Balog, a student trainer, take charge of the system.

“I could accomplish basic understanding of medicine on the field,” Balog said, “stuff that can kick start a career as an EMT.” Balog’s training career started his freshman year, in 2009.

THE SQUAT The squat allows the trainer to judge a large range of things incuding tightness in the calves, weakness in the glutes, core strength and range of motion. The bar must be held above the athlete’s head, and, to score a three out of three, he must keep the bar behind his feet.

“I went to him asking if I could be a trainer since it seemed interesting at the time,” Balog said, “and I had a friend, Spencer Williams ’12, working with Matt.”

For Balog, the program will help further his knowledge of human physiology.

Now, he will learn how to manage the system in an attempt to lower injury rates in the athletic programs.

“I feel like he [Drew] has the knowledge base to carry this project forward,” Hjertstedt said. “From a time aspect, he’ll be able to have time in the afternoon to go meet with individual players. While I work on current injuries, he can work on the prevention side.”

The trainers hope to focus on keeping athletes from getting injured as opposed to treating their injuries.

This way, they can end the extended recovery periods.

“It’s actually shown some pretty surprising results,” Hjertstedt said.

“The exercises are really simple, the most basic is a squat with your hands over your head. I’ve had some very high level athletes unable to complete it.”

However, with each test taking just under ten minutes, there is not currently enough time to run the screen on all fall athletes.

“Now, we’ve been scheduling individuals. In the future I would hope to expand that,” Hjertstedt said.

Specifically, they want to work with basketball and volleyball — sports that both involve jumping.

“For our cross country runners and distance runners we started doing extra stretching and rolling out using foam rollers on their IT bands,” Hjertstedt said. “And anybody that complains of pain immediately goes on to a strengthening program.”

The trainers hope these improvements will help change injuries.

“It definitely could have a significant impact in the long run,” Balog said, “because it basically shows us what injury to treat before it happens so we can prevent it from happening.”

PREDICTING THE INJURY story by Matthew Conley, sports editor | photos by Tim O’Meara, staff photographer, illustration by Zuyva Sevilla, graphics director

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New press box constructed for Hunt Stadium

By Phillip Smart staff writer he new press box finished construction over the summer and is ready for use for football, soccer and lacrosse games. It is twice as wide as the old one, which has resided in the home stands in the Norma and Lamar Hunt Family Stadium for the past eight years.

More room will allow space for two air conditioned individual coaching rooms for each team, the clock operators, and a Dallas Morning News reporter.

Stadium announcer Marc Barta is happy about the new space.

“Now, we have elbow room,” Barta said. “Secondly, its a lot easier and in some ways safer to get into. During the game, to get in or out of the old press box, there were fans seated along the whole path that you had to go in and out by. That created problems getting in and out.”

In addition to space and functionality, videographers will have an easier time filming games. Previously, film was taken from the roof of Spencer Gym, but that became a liability for injury, and film was taken from a scissor lift after that. Assistant Athletic Director Josh Friesen believes the filming situation will improve.

“I think the filming is going to be better for all sports,” Friesen said. “It was pretty good when we were up on the roof of the gym, but since we can’t do that anymore, this is the next best option.”

However, Friesen explains why football coaches will

mainly use the coaching rooms as opposed to soccer and lacrosse coaches.

“Football is unique in the way that they have coaches or other assistant coordinators who are kind of the eye in the sky,” Friesen said. “I don’t think it’s gonna be as necessary for the other sports as far as using the coaches rooms. Although, having game film is important in all three and I’m quite confident it will help the sports in that matter.”

With all the advantages, there are a few disadvantages to the new press box. For example, it is harder for people in the press box to see near the endzones.

“We have a computer screen in the press box that actually generates the graphic that shows up on the scoreboard,” Barta said. “So we have a screen, but it is a very small and difficult to see screen. Hopefully, by the next home game, we are going to have a larger monitor installed where four of the necessary people in there can see it because there is a lot of information we need to take from that screen.”

Both Barta and Friesen are glad the new press box was made, and believe it to be an improvement. Friesen talks about the future of the press box.

“We’re excited to have the new press box,” Friesen said. “It’s very user friendly. We are looking forward to seeing it action, once we get in there we may find out some things that need to be adjusted but we like the greater space inside.”

Page 22

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

SPORTS

ON AIR

U M E R

N A D I R LIVE Junior Umer Nadir sits behind the microphone talking to his 40,000 listeners in his 1110 AM SportsJam on Funasia radio booth.

Experienced with several DJ gigs, junior Umer Nadir has taken the next step — his own radio show talking to nearly 40,000 listeners each week

J

unior Umer Nadir sat in the broadcast studio with the stateof-the-art sound board in front of him and a microphone hanging from the ceiling staring him in the face. He closed his eyes, scared.

Intimidated.

On the other side, he knew that 40,000 listeners had checked in, ready for him. But then the clock struck 12 and it clicked.

“Hey listeners, you’re listening to SportsJam on Funasia Radio 1110 AM. The number to the studio is 972-231-1110. I’m your host Umer and I’ll be here with you till 1 this afternoon.”

He was talking to himself and all the listeners were just eavesdropping. It was his world, and they were just living in it.

Before his first time on FunAsia Radio 1110 AM’s radio JUNIOR UMER NADIR

It’s been great.... There is a lot of research involved with the job but at the same time there is a lot of just my opinion.

talk show “SportsJam,” Nadir was a little unsure of how to speak and conduct himself while on air.

“Going into radio, I felt like I needed to speak as sophisticated as I could to make myself sound so knowledgeable about everything. I was scared that people wouldn’t understand me if I went off on a tangent,” Nadir said.

However, the avid sports fan, on his show from 12-1 p.m. learned quickly that things would not be as uptight or formal as he had anticipated them to be.

“My boss sat me down and told me that ‘Look, don’t make it fancy, you are talking about sports,’” Nadir said. “‘You need to keep it simple in terms of the people understanding because people are not going to tune in to hear fancy words, they are going to tune in to hear an opinion you have about sports.’”

Performance-wise, Nadir’s employer Shabnam Modgil is very impressed with the junior so far.

“He is doing very good, great,” Modgil said. “He puts in some music in between and talks intelligent-

ly about everything that needs to be covered, and I think he is doing a great job.”

It is very clear why Modgil, who also owns FunAsia’s FM station, 104.9, hired Nadir in the first place.

“Umer seems to know about all the sports we wanted to cover.

He’s up with all the sports: football, basketball, baseball and golf,” she said. “And he might even cover some NASCAR.” As far as favorites go, Nadir has one sport in particular he prefers to cover every Saturday on the show.

“I like doing basketball, partly because I play basketball, but partly because players like Dwight Howard makes it such a social type of event,” Nadir said. “There is a lot of social media involved around the NBA rather than the NFL– meaning that NBA players are actively

Tweeting, Instagramming, doing whatnot, more than NFL players.”

The well-known use of social media by professional basketball players makes the sport and athletes more public in the way it they present information. That makes it easier for Nadir to have a more intriguing and entertaining show when the time to discuss the NBA rolls around.

“It’s been great, really it’s just been me trying to keep up,” he said.

“There is a lot of research involved with the job but at the same time there is a lot of just my opinion.”

Although he spends time researching sports news for his show, Nadir feels the weekly hour-long show has been relatively easy on his daily schedule, especially when compared to his preparation prior to deejaying at an event.

“I feel like deejaying takes most of my time up,” he said, “and

there is not really much practice for radio rather than just going in there and speaking on the mic — hearing yourself, trying to adjust your pitch.”

Nadir has been surprised by one thing in particular during his time on 1110 AM. “From radio I think that the most surprising experience was the feedback that I got,” Nadir said, “When you’re actually doing the show you feel like, ‘Oh my gosh, I said this, I said that,’ but really no one cares, so you’re surprised at the positive feedback you get when you’re doing the show. I like that a lot. It was a good surprise.”

In the future, Modgil hopes that Nadir will be able to increase his hours on-air and help the station grab new listeners as Nadir explores uncharted territory for FunAsia Radio.

“I think I want to bring in celebrity guests to speak on the radio,” Nadir said. “I have that kind of power now to give them a call and ask them to do an interview.

So I think one of the best moments is yet to come.”

ON AIR story by Zach Naidu, staff writer and Shourya Kumar, deputy opinion editor | photos by Adam Merchant, staff photographer

California dreaming: junior Simenc qualifies for national water polo honors

By Richard Jiang staff writer

I

t’s not easy gaining entry into the top tier of a sport. And that’s especially true for water polo. Just ask junior Timothy Simenc. Simenc, traveled to Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach, CA over the summer to make the Cadet Junior National Water Polo team May 27, earning him a spot among the top 24 high school water polo players in the nation.

“I wasn’t going to get anywhere, I wasn’t going to get any help here in Texas,” Simenc said. “If I want make the national team, if I want to play in college, I’ve got to be doing things like this.”

Simenc and his family made the risky decision to play for Lamorinda Water Polo Club

in California after a disappointing season at the Water Polo Junior Olympics the past school year.

“We were taking a shot in the dark,” Simenc said. “My parents said, ‘We’re going to find some clubs you want to play for and send Timothy Simenc Gains national water polo honors

them some emails and see what they say.’ It was a big risk.”

After finding the right team to play for, Simenc’s family made a sacrifice of their entire summer to support Simenc’s water polo aspirations.

“I couldn’t drive.” Simenc said, “They’re

[Simenc’s parents] driving me everywhere. We rented a house in San Francisco, so we had to drive across the Bay Bridge, across Oakland, and across Berkley to get to Lamorinda, an hour and a half drive.”

Simenc’s trip lasted two months and consisted of three practices a day. However, Simenc’s trip paid off as he became known by college recruiters.

“Harvard, University of California at Santa Barbara, Brown, and Princeton were pretty interested in me,” Simenc said. “I got wind of a couple of nice schools.”

To qualify to tryout for the national team, Simenc had to make the Texas southwest zones team, perform well, qualify for the national tournament and place well in the

tournament.

“All these teams are so good that any game is any team’s game,” Simenc said.

Simenc’s teammates are optimistic about the skills and dedication Simenc will bring back to St. Mark’s.

“I think Tim now brings unparalleled work ethic,” senior Josh Perkins said. “And his experiences in California with great players give him a new edge to his leadership.”

Simenc also hopes to bring greatness to the water polo team with a new vision: to be the best.

“I want to bring to St. Marks the desire to be the best one can be,” Simenc said. “It isn’t about being the big fish in the small pond. It’s about being the big fish in the big pond.”

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THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

Page 23

SPORTS F A L L

S P O R T S

The return of the pride Fall sports teams gear up for season full of title defenses and hope of returns to glory of yesteryears.

L

practices all throughout August for two a days.”

The motivation led to hard work, which appears to have paid off.

“It just validated what we’ve been practicing and working on since August 5,” Caldwell said, “and it gave everyone that boost of confidence to know all the hard days of practice are paying off.”

The team is using this experience and overall improvements in conditioning and skill positions to try and reach what they fell short of last year.

“We had a great team last year,” Webb said, “but I think we have a lot more maturity because a lot of us have grown up. We have a great receiving core, we have a lot of speed this year: I think speed’s our biggest thing and the perimeter blocking is huge.”

At the beginning of the season, questions about the offensive line surfaced, but they have not disappointed so far.

“Our O-line, that’s where everyone had questions,” Webb said. “They didn’t know we were going to be that good, but they’ve come out and they’ve dominated. They’ve done everything they can, and I’ve barely been touched, it’s great.”

Labhart believes the biggest factor that separates the Lions from the rest of the SPC is simply work ethic.

“We work harder than anybody else,” he said, “and it’s kind of cliché because we talk about that a lot here but we really do work harder than any of the other teams, we don’t take anything for granted and we show up every day and work hard.”

VOLLEYBALL undefeated, squad hopes for SPC repeat

A

VOLLEYBALL COACH DARREN TEICHER

I have been blessed with talented athletes in my years at St. Mark’s and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop.

“My expectation for the start of the year is to come out firing,” Pate said. “I want to establish early on that we’re the team to beat in the conference, and I think we did a great job of that by winning the Houston Cup.” Head Coach Darren Teicher is pleased with the quality of young players on the team this year.

“I have been blessed with talented athletes in my years here at St. Mark’s,” Teicher said, “and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop. I watch young guys like Parker Dixon, and I see limitless possibilities for his volleyball future. I had the same view of Tim Simenc last year, and he has not let anyone down. I’m excited to see who will step up in

years to come.”

After winning SPC last year, everybody on the squad now knows that SPC is in reach. Moreover, the team now knows that a repeat is possible.

“In the last five years, not counting last year, St. Mark’s volleyball has always been close but come up short,” Pate said. “I think winning it all last year has allowed us to overcome the stigma of not being mentally strong enough to power through. At this point, we know we’re mentally strong enough, and we have incredible talent that can take us to the promised land. It’s on us to go out and crush the other teams’ hopes and dreams. I have the utmost confidence we will and add another title to the banner.”

ALDEN JAMES PHOTO

By William Caldwell staff writer fter raising the trophy above their heads last year, the Lions’ varsity volleyball team is right back in the hunt for another SPC championship this year — beginning with a tournament win in Houston and victories over Trinity Valley and Greenhill.

Lead by senior captains Carson Pate and Teddy Edwards, the team feels confident after the tournament win.

SERVE IT UP Jumping to serve the ball, Junior Wesley Cha helps the team to a 3-0 win over Greenhill

RUSHING FORWARD Evading Mart defenders, Junior Justin Jones runs for a touchdown as Lions beat the Mart Panthers 40-20 on Sept. 6. Coach Bart Epperson’s squad was 2-0 in its first two games.

FENCING gains leadership with new coaches and captains

By Anvit Reddy staff writer he two words “change” and “focus” seem to be the fencing team’s theme for what the squad hopes to be another successful year.

With the losses of long-time head coach Michael Kim and an extremely strong senior class, change seems necessary for the team.

However, with the additions of Hossam Mahmoud and Rhonda Treitsch to the staff, coach B.J. Bernadas hopes the team can rebound.

“We are trying to implement training methods from all our experiences from all three of our coaches this year,” Bernadas said.

“We are hoping that there will be a good synergy and that we can build a good program.”

The team also needs strong leadership from its only two seniors, co-captains Juan Chavez and Oliver Ness, to do well this year.

“What I look for in captains is leadership,” Bernadas said. “They need to be able to lead the team, motivate them, ensure they are getting the proper training skills and mind-

T

set.”

The seniors fit the bill of leaders as described by Bernadas. Their main goal is to leave a lasting impression on the underclassmen so the team can find success not only this year, but in years to follow.

“Oliver and I want to instill a hard-working mentality on these kids so they see this isn’t just a blow-off, this is a sport,” Bernadas said. “This is a program where you come in, work hard, and see the fruits of your labor pay off. This is a sport just like any other sport at St. Mark’s.”

With the addition of experienced coaches and the strong senior leadership, the fencing team seems poised for yet another strong season.

“I feel that the team will perform very well this year,” Bernadas said. “I’m confident that our varsity fencers have substantially improved to this point and should be able to deliver satisfying results this season. I know the team will do St. Mark’s proud this year.”

CROSS COUNTRY continues summer tradition

By Bradford Beck staff writer or the second year in a row, coach John Turek’s cross country team traveled to Wimberley, deep in the Hill Country, to prepare for the upcoming season.

The team ran twice a day, along with core and team building exercises.

“We usually ran a longer run in the morning, around five miles, then three miles in the afternoon,” senior captain Matthew Brown said.

The summer trip to Wimberley entails more than just intense training. It is a bonding experience as well.

“The exercises we did forced us to trust each other, and they showed us how much we rely on each other,” Brown said.

Beginning in August, the team met at 7 a.m. daily to run five to seven miles and lift weights and has been racing against 5A schools in order to get the best competition and to get early race times.

“We’re racing in cool weather which has a huge impact on performance,” Turek said.

The team does this rigorous training in order to prepare them for the season as well as the SPC championship.

After getting third in SPC last year, behind St. Andrews and St. Johns, coach Turek expects a strong competition from both teams.

“St. Andrews has won the last five in a row and they will be very good again,” Turek said. “St. John’s has a very good team returning as well.”

Although the competition will be tough, the team believes that they can win a

F

BRIANNA BROWN PHOTO

By Cameron Clark staff writer ast season was the year. It was time for their first championship since 2008. The spirit was building up, the students were buzzing, everything was falling in to place. It was the year. Until Kinkaid put an end to it. For the second time in a row.

After a 7-2 record last season ending in a disappointing SPC semifinal loss to Kinkaid, coach Bart Epperson’s football team looks to bounce back after they cruised past Mart 40-20 in the season opener Sept. 6, followed by a 31-14 win at Cistercian Sept. 12. The team just suffered their first loss to All Saints Sept. 20, but they won’t let it slow them down.

With ten returning starters on offense and defense, including wide receiver John Caldwell, quarterback John Webb and middle linebacker Mac Labhart, the Lions are looking to make this the year.

“Having the same team knock you out both years just motivates us to get back in a position to play them in the playoffs,” Caldwell said, “and when you lose like that and you’re so close it makes you motivate yourself yearround to get back and have a chance to win.”

The Lions used the disappointment from last year and their recent loss to motivate themselves even more.

“A lot of the kids came and showed up to (voluntary) summer workouts,” Labhart said, “and we worked hard in the weight room and then conditioning over the summer. We had good

ANDREW GATHERER PHOTO

FOOTBALL 2-1 start propels talk of SPC title

RUN ON Senior captain Matthew Brown leads the pack as one of the team’s top runners.

championship.

“This is the most talented group since 2007, which was the last time we won,” Turek said.

The team has nine runners who are all finishing with very similar times in all events.

“Cross country is not all about one big stud. Cross country is about team running,” Turek said.

The smaller the time difference between the first and the fifth runner, the better the team’s score will be, the coach explains.

“We have nine guys that can run really close to each other and that is huge,” Turek said.

“Our team is looking stronger than ever so far this season, so I think we have a really good shot this year,” Brown said.

HIGHPERFORMANCE Volleyball player Timothy Simenc

R

St. Mark’s School of Texas 10600 Preston Road Dallas, Texas, 75230

T HE REMARKER

THE BACK SPORTS PAGE

PAGE 24

THE REMARKER FRIDAY SEPT. 27, 2013

SCIENCE

ZUYVA SEVILLA ILLUSTRATION

BEHIND THE GAME

Junior TIMOTHY SIMENC of the varsity volleyball team has led the team with countless spikes during its undefeated season. “We have a lot of talent and chemistry,” Simenc said.

“We don’t give up when the games are tight. We get angry.”

TACKLES

37

In senior Mac Labhart’s first two games, he had 37 total tackles.

19 TA C K L E S

In Labhart’s most recent game agaisnt Fort Worth All Saints.

The performance earned the captain Honorable Mention in Dallas Morning News’s “Defensive Player of the Week.”

6.3

yards per second When approaching the victim of his next tackle, Labhart covers 6.3 yards a second.

Each increment on the field is five yards.

27

G

Boom. Offensive players feel 27 gs in one instant when Labhart takes them down.

HARD KNOCKS senior Mac Labhart, number one, shoves a player out of bounds during the game against Fort Worth All Saints. The team lost 21-58 Sept. 20.

Here comes the

W

A BREAKDOWN OF SENIOR MAC LABHART’S TACKLE

hen it comes to football, people often look at the athletic side. But sports editors Matthew Conley and Teddy Edwards broke down every step of senior Mac Labhart’s tackle in a scientific way — and they came up with shocking numbers.

Labhart, who managed to put 37 tackles in the stat book in just the first two games — 16 in the first against Mart and 21 in the second against Cistercian — packs quite the punch on his opponents.

Each of his tackles is a ferocious one. We hooked a football dummy up to an accelerometer, and recorded a max of 27 g on his tackle. That’s more than the average fighter pilot feels.

Now, this is only for a brief moment.

Being exposed to that much force for even a second can be incredibly dangerous.

Then, we took his velocity. Labhart covers 6.3 yards every second. To put that in to perspective, each line on the field marks five yards. That’s about 13 miles per hour.

Finally, we measure his force. Multiplying his weight of 200 pounds by his acceleration of 265 meters per second squared, he exerts 25,000 newtons of force on an average tackle.

For Labhart, these numbers aren’t surprising. He only wants to improve on them.

“I want to have 200 tackles and 10 sacks by the end of the season,” Labhart said.

At this rate, he’ll have no problem

achieving his goal.

When it comes to sacks, Labhart has a specific technique.

“If it’s a sack,” Labhart said, “my eyes focus on his back shoulder so he SENIOR MAC LABHART

I want to have 200 tackles and ten sacks by the end of the season. can’t roll out of the pocket or step up.”

And for tackles on other players, he has certain places to aim for.

“If it’s a tackle, I focus on his near hip so he can’t cut out underneath me,” Labhart said. “If he tries to stretch outside I’m in a position to make the play.”

With the football team’s current record of 2-1, Labhart hopes to finish his final year with a serious boom.

HERE COMES THE BOOM story by Matthew Conley, sports editor | photos by Mason Smith, staff photographer and Adam Merchant, staff photographer