The ReMarker ~ May 2012 by St. Mark's School of Texas

remarker

thursday MAY 17, 2012 ST. MARK’S SCHOOL OF TEXAS DALLAS, TX 75230 VOLUME 58, ISSUE 7

Junior Danny Koudelka p. 17

Cum Laude ceremony p. 4

Author Gus Lee scheduled to speak at Commencement by RACHIT MOHAN special projects director NINETY SENIORS, DRESSED IN bright white tuxedo jackets, will walk across the stage May 25, shake the headmaster’s hand and receive their diplomas. As each boy-turned-man steps off the stage, diploma in hand, he puts an end to his time at St. Mark’s. But at the same moment, he commences a new journey, one that takes him well beyond the boundaries of 10600 Preston Road. “I think most of us are ready to move on,” Senior Class President Ross Crawford said. “I’m excited, but I’m more sad to leave than excited because this is a pretty awesome place, and I’ve pretty much known this my whole life so it’s tough to actually be leaving.” Commencement speaker will be accomplished author Gus Lee, who writes on topics relating to ethics and leadership. He has also been a resource to developoment of the school’s Leadership and Ethics Program. He was chosen to address the Senior Class because he has a deep understanding of the community and its goals, so his speech can offer a more direct connection for the graduates. “Gus Lee is speaking, and he’s been around and knows the kids,” sponsor J.T. Sutcliffe said. “Which is nice because it’s always nice when you have somebody who doesn’t come in and gives a bland, generic speech but hopefully tailor it a little bit.”

Athens band p. 10

Waleed Rashed p. 3

Sophomore Sam Khoshbin p. 19

inside T H E

C H A N G I N G

C H A P E L

up&coming A

news ▶ By the time he turned

18, senior Roland Salatino had accomplished what only a few Boy Scouts had ever done before: he had earned his 17th palm award. Page 5.

scene

S SOPHOMORE JACK PIGOTT WALKED INTO THE DIMMED CHAPEL AMID THE HORDES OF UPPER School students for his March 14 edition of weekly mandated half-hour of respite, his grumbles of apathy and indifference were replaced by a hush of anticipation. There was a new face atop the altar — a new face that already had large expectations. When new chaplain Rev. Michael Dangelo first began to speak, a rare aura of personality and charisma was emitted from his every pore, one that captivated Pigott as soon as the minister abandoned the pulpit to homilize from the nave itself. There was something different CONTINUED, PAGE 15 about him.

TAKE A SCHOOL OF TEENAGE BOYS EAGER FOR CHANGE AND A NEED FOR A NEW CHAPLAIN. ADD ENGAGING WEEKLY SPEECHES AND PLANS FOR A REVITALIZED CHAPEL SERVICE. WHAT DO YOU GET? REV. MICHAEL DANGELO, OF COURSE.

▶ Whether it’s through

his piano concerts at Carnegie Hall or his contagious smile at school, senior Roderick Demmings has touched the lives of countless people. Read his story. Page 8.

centerspread ▶ Did you know that in

Texas it is illegal to milk another person’s cow? We take a look at some of our own little-known rules. Pages 12-13.

sports ▶ After the 60th anniver-

▶ by Paul Gudmundsson, managing editor

sary of SPC this year, we take a look back at some of the best moments in Lions sports. Page 16.

commentary ▶ When the deadline

for Blue and Gold Day event signups passed, many students did not know where or by when they were supposed to sign up. See the Editorial Board’s suggestions to improve communication. Page 21.

commencement headliners • Guest speaker is noted leadership expert and author Gus Lee • Student speakers include Senior Class President Ross Crawford and class valedictorian (to be named) • Awards to be presented include Headmaster’s Cup, the School Flag and Citizenship Cup • Begins at 8 p.m. • Reception follows in the Great Hall

CONTINUED, PAGE 6

today ▶ Last day of classes for grades 9-12 ▶ AP exams ▶ Athletic Banquet in Great Hall, 6:30 p.m.

tomorrow ▶ Reading day for PARKER MATTHEWS PHOTO

Along with Lee, Crawford will address his class at commencement, as will the class valedictorian, who has not been named as of press time. But while the seniors may be leaving campus, they have certainly left a trail of accomplishments and successes on the field, classroom and stage. “The SPC victories, the academic leadership, the wonderful musical performances, they all attest to the achievement that this class has reached,” Sutcliffe said. “So in many ways, that’s what stays here.” Beyond accolades and awards, the senior class has set the tone for spirit and community support.

ahead

SOUL MAN Starting with more lively chapel speeches, Rev. Michael Dangelo plans on making several changes to the weekly services, including new hymnals, engaging messages and stimulating music, to the chapel program.

grades 9-11 ▶ AP exams

saturday

▶ Exams for grades 8-11 ▶ Marksmen Ball, 6 :30 p.m.

index

News 2-7 Scene 8-11, 14 Centerspread 12-13 Up & coming 15 Sports 16-20 Commentary 21-23 Fun Day 24

remarker | MAY 17, 2012

news Saying farewell, ‘HAP’ is going home

Arab Spring | 3

Cum Laude | 4

D E PA R T I N G

Eagle Scout | 5

F A C U LT Y,

vegetable garden | 6

S TA F F

is worn black briefcase is tired of opening and closing, scarfing down ungraded papers and spitting out ones marked with black pen, harsh critiques and flattering comments. The lapels of the khaki jacket have been pressed around his shoulders long enough.

After bringing the famous Harkness table and the infamous family history paper to the scholarly atmosphere of the school, after 28 years of pacing the halls of generations of buildings and after a lifetime of quoting Shakespeare, leading Evensong, travelling Europe and receiving a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, Malcolm K. and Minda Brachman Master Teacher Dr. Henry Ploegstra is officially retiring at the end of the 2012 school year. The suit, the briefcase, the steady stream of pleasantries. The iconic mentor is done.

dents at 10600 Preston Road that Ploegstra openly radiates throughout the beige halls of Centennial, it’s no wonder he has succeeded in making monumental impacts throughout the core curriculum and structure of the school. Through the innumerable Harkness tables dotting classrooms and through the iconic sophomore family history paper, every student that has entered the confines of this school has felt his almost tangible influence. “Dr. Ploegstra has contributed to St. Mark’s in so many ways over the past 28 years,” Headmaster Arnie Holtberg said. “His teaching has been superb. His stimulation of thinking and writing have been excellent. Methods of teaching have evolved if not have been transformed, and I think Dr. Ploegstra can be credited with leading the way there.” Holtberg could rain an endless amount of praise on Ploegstra. There is so much to say about a man who has done so much. In addition to the heightened intellectual life that Ploegstra has instituted at 10600 Preston Road, he has also served as verger for the chapel’s Evensong events, a position he describes as “leading the parade in and out [of the chapel].” “He’s contributed to the life of the chapel,” Holtberg said. “and was celebrated the other night in chapel at the Evensong service for doing that.” loegstra is, for all definitions of the word, a St. Mark’s renaissance man. “He is a faculty member who attends many events from the arts to the sports to all the things that our boys do,” Holtberg said. “Therefore, he makes a difference. He contributes to the fabric of the place and the spirit of the place.” And though he’s praised immensely by his colleagues, his students and his alumni, Ploegstra stays humble. “I’m somebody that comes to work everyday,” he said. “I just show up and do the best I can. I made a lot of small mistakes, but I don’t think I made any big ones. At least, if I did make some, I don’t know what they are yet.” And the truth is, he hasn’t made any big ones. Because the students have his back. “Students and teachers are in this together,” Ploegstra said. “It’s not a competition and it’s not a rivalry and it’s not a confrontation. It’s people around the table trying to figure out things.” And no matter how cliché it sounds, it’s always about the students. Always. “Dr. Ploegstra forms long and happy friendships with lots of students,” English Department

P HAP After 28 years at the school, Malcolm K. and Minda Brachman Master Teacher Dr. Henry Alden Ploegstra is retiring and moving to Holland, MI.

Leaving 10600 Preston Road after 28 years, longtime campus icon contributed greatly to school life

“I’m 77 years old,” he said, laughing wildly. “I’ve been teaching for more than 50 years. I don’t want to grade any more papers.” With a tenure of 28 years under his belt, Ploegstra might have a hard time letting go of the society that has embraced him and that has been embraced by him. “I’ll miss Friday night football. Watching tennis,” Ploegstra said, his eyes darting back and forth as if he were watching an intense point. “But mostly, I’ll miss the students. You guys are what make this place operate and what make it worth coming to work in the morning.” Considering the affection to the stu-

math olympiad | 7

Head Roberta Mailer said. “And I think that’s one of his greatest strengths: the lasting associations that he makes with past students.” Holtberg notes Ploegstra’s true passion to change lives, both in and out of the literature he teaches. “He’s opened up windows and doors for boys into the lives of their families,” Holtberg said. “He stimulates thought. He stimulates reflection. And he causes students to articulate better and better. He leaves nothing undone in his quest to help our boys to be stronger learners and better citizens.” There is simply too much to describe the man who has seemingly revolutionized the way in which kids learn, write and wonder. “Marvelous,” Mailer said. “His whole method of probing with questions to make students think about what they’ve read and what it means in the world is marvelous.” In the end, he’s just a man who comes to work everyday. But his iconic image is not just an image. His class isn’t just class. His presence isn’t just a presence. There’s always more to a life than what can be put down on paper. “I don’t know where you’ll ever find a better student body than here,” Ploegstra said. “That’s why I’ve stayed on this long. I just enjoy being around you guys.” “It’s called being a presence,” he said. “This is not written in the rulebooks. It’s not in Lion Tracks. It’s becoming a part of the community and interacting with the students and faculty to a point where, when I tell people to tuck their shirts in, they don’t grumble. They said ‘thank you.’”

Dr. Henry Ploegstra A life in full • He was valedictorian of his high school class of 35 students • He left his parents in Holland, MI at 17 • He worked night shifts at a psychiatric hospital to pay for college • He became editor of the yearbook at Calvin College as a senior • He traveled Europe as a part of the Army • He met Pope John XXIII • He took a private tour of the Sistine Chapel • He taught at Philips Exeter Academy, along with a handful of other private schools in the Northeast • He received a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago • He has been to every continent in the world save Antarctica • He brought the Harkness table and the family history paper to the core curriculum here

SAYING FAREWELL story by Noah Yonack, news editor | photo by Michael Doorey, head photographer

GONE WITH THE WIND Seven more faculty to leave 10600 Preston Road

Patricia Boyd

Assistant to the Director of Finance and Administration Hired: 1992

What will you miss most? “Most of all I’ll miss my best friends Verna Smith and Karen Llewellyn. Before St. Mark’s, we met 30 plus years ago while working at another company.”

Heather Forteith Stewardship coordinator Hired: 2007

Future Plans? “Once settled [in Marietta, GA with William Forteith], I will look for a position in nonprofit or educational advancement. We are sad to leave St. Mark’s and will definitely be back for visits!”

William Forteith ‘96 Assistant head of Middle School Hired: 2003 Where to? Head of Middle School at The Walker School in Marietta, GA Best memory? “My daughter being baptized in the St. Mark’s Chapel.”

Brian Hargrove ‘88 Director of Development Hired: 2004 Where to? Mercersburg Academy as Assistant Head of School for Advancement.

What will you miss most? “The people—our

students and my dedicated colleagues. I will also miss the many devoted alumni, parents and friends who strengthen our school through their service and financial support. “

Matthew Jackson Technology specialist Hired: 2002 Where to? The Buckley School in New York, NY.

Biggest impact you’ve made? “I hope that I’ve been able to lead by example for my colleagues and especially my students about doing things the right way from the beginning.”

Jerry Lacey

Humanities instructor Hired: 1987

Biggest impact you’ve made? “Bringing the concept of team back to tennis and then bringing it into the classroom. For people to support one another not only in the classroom but also on the tennis court is a key concept.”

Rick Ortega Head varsity wrestling coach Hired: 1982

What will you miss most? “Some of the things I will miss most about St. Mark’s will be the camaraderie and friendships developed over the years. Also the great food in the cafeteria.”

S P R I N G

P R E S E N T A T I O N

news

A R A B

LEADER OF ARAB SPRING CHALLENGES STUDENTS IN APRIL 23 CAMPUS VISIT

‘We will never be silent again.’

REVOLUTIONARY Egyptian protest leader Waleed Rashed (right) came to campus April 23 to speak about his involvement with the Arab Spring revolutions in the Middle East, engaging in a dialogue with Marcus Master Teacher Dr. Bruce Westrate (left) and taking questions for students.

For Sutcliffe, supporting NY students brought her to sight of protests

tudents marched down Pennsylvania Avenue wearing whiteface. Adults followed with signs. The government claimed it was listening. Nothing changed. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Earle Wheeler called the stuJ.T. Sutcliffe Protested against Vietnam War

Witnessing violent riots in Berkeley, CA fuels today’s beliefs

verybody was staring at them and they couldn’t figure out why. They were just visiting. It was a stop on a post-graduation road trip. They looked back at the crowd and saw a mass of people yelling, chanting and marching with their protest signs. They looked behind them and saw a line of riot police wielding shields, helmets, gas masks and clubs. They police were getting ready to charge. Houpt and his friends turned and ran into a nearby dormitory. They were safe, but the riot was just beginning. “At some sort of signal, the riot police charged,” Houpt said. “They charged down the street towards the demonstrators with clubs and stuff.” After the initial charge, the police became excessively brutal in their treatment of the protestors. “They proceeded to beat people with clubs and shoot tear gas at people and all that kind of stuff because they were trying to disperse the demonstration,” Houpt said. “Somebody got

killed. They shot some people with rubber bullets and some guy fell off a roof and died.” In April 1969, citizens of Berkeley, CA decided to build a park on land owned by the University of California at Berkeley. Citizens approved the plan, but the university did not. In a little more than a month, People’s Park had been constructed. “The University of California, headed by Gov. Ronald Reagan, didn’t Stephen Houpt Observed a violent riot in California

appreciate that and so they went in with bulldozers and they bulldozed the whole thing,” Houpt said. Although Houpt believes that the riot was violent and excessive, he still understands and believes in the importance of demonstrations and the right to assemble. “I think it’s good for people to exercise their right to lawful assembly and express their viewpoint and make their viewpoint heard,” Houpt said. “It’s part of being a democracy.”

‘WE WILL NEVER BE SILENT AGAIN’ story by Ryan O’Meara, news editor | photo by Michael Doorey, head photographer

by the numbers HOP, SKIP AND JUMP Freshman Justin Jones runs through a bounce house on Upper/Middle School Fun Day held April 19. The Student Council provided large inflatables and Doc’s Snow Cones for the students. (see p. 24 for more photos)

90 Number seniors who will graduate May 25

Twelve-year Marksmen who will walk across the Commencment stage

Academic Team finishes second in state The Academic Team made up of seniors Michael Patison and Reid Weisberg, junior James Rowan and sophomore Luke Munson earned a second place finish at the 13th Annual Texas State Quiz Bowl Championship the weekend of May 4-6. Finishing 9-1 in the round robin tournament, the team lost only to the undefeted Seven Lakes High School in the final round. Next, the team will travel to Atlanta, GA to compete in the NAQT High School National Championship Tournament on Memorial Day weekend.

Senior Gao named Presidential Scholar Senior Galen Gao was named to the 48th class of United States Presidential Scholars May 2 in an announcement by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Gao was among 141 seniors chosen this year—20 were honored for their work in the arts, 15 were chosen at large and the rest were selected for their academic accomplishments. With this honor, Gao becomes the seventh Marksman in the past decade to become a Presidential Scholar. “I honestly expected I would be lucky to make it to the semifinal round, and of course, I was really happy when I made it there,” Gao said. He chose Nelson Master Teacher Jon Valasek, who he named his most inspirational teacher, to accompany him to Washington, D.C. to receive his award.

May 17, 2012

dents “interminably vocal youngsters, strangers alike to soap and reason.” According to Sutcliffe, those students viewed themselves differently. “We saw ourselves as bright, motivated, involved young people,” Sutcliffe said, “and we didn’t like that at all so that made us mad. During the fall of 1969, Sutcliffe was a new teacher in a school district on Long Island, NY. Since the students there were very involved with the opposition to the Vietnam War, Sutcliffe

accompanied a group of faculty and students to Washington D.C. where they marched in protest of the war. “We were not the camper-outers, but some of the students put on whiteface,” Sutcliffe said. “They were in the front lines of the march down Pennsylvania Avenue. We went down there because there was a big rally organized to protest the war.” However, unlike the riot Houpt attended, this protest was not a violent one. “All I saw were people, respectfully but loudly, making a point that they didn’t think we should be in the war and we ought to get out of the war as fast as we could,” Sutcliffe said. Although Sutcliffe was definitely against the war while it was being fought, she has a different perspective about the country’s involvement in retrospect. “Looking back, I realize it wasn’t quite as black and white as some people were painting it, on either side,” Sutcliffe said. “I’m not sure that if I relived it with the knowledge I now have, I would not have had a little more understanding of why we were there.”

Physics instructor Stephen Houpt watched a riot over the destruction of People’s Park in Berkeley, California during late 1960s. Founders Master Teacher J.T. Sutcliffe marched in Washington, D.C. during a 1969 protest of the Vietnam War. Although these two faculty members were not on the front lines of either event, they both shared the unique experience of participating in an historic event with The ReMarker.

remarker

couraging students not to keep silent when viewing social injustices, Waleed Rashed, co-founder of the April 6 Youth Movement in Egypt and important participant in the Arab Spring movement, spoke at an April 23 Upper School assembly after school in Decherd Performance Hall. Rashed, however, was not the only person on campus who had been involved with protests and riots.

Members of the Class of 2012 who will attend Ivy League schools next year Merit winners named Seniors Galen Gao and Patrick Ng have been selected by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. as National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners. In addition, seniors Nick Uebele and Charles Jin have been awarded the National PepsiCo Foundation Scholarship and the National Merit Jerry R. Junkins Memorial Scholarship, respectively.

Rogers finalists named Humanities instructor Jerry Lacey, English instructor Dr. Martin Stegemoeller and Chinese instructor Dr. Lei Zhang were named finalists for the Ralph B. Rogers Alumni Award. Winner for the honor, which carries cash awards, will be announced at final assembly May 25.

news

C U M

L A U D E

Academic all-stars

wenty juniors and seniors were inducted into the Cum Laude Society April 25 in an assembly held after school in the chapel. Dr. Geoffrey Orsak, dean of the Lyle School of Engineering at SMU and newly named president of the University of Tulsa, spoke to the students about the importance of failure. Cum Laude president J.T. Sutcliffe directed the elections where faculty members who teach juniors and seniors, along with the previously inducted seniors, voted for the new members.

Cum Laude members

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2-year Jason Altschuler Joe Bush Prajan Divakar Galen Gao Charles Jin Greg Kinman Patrick Ng Alex Nguyen Garrett Watumull Taylor Wilson 1-year Juniors Chandler Burke Will Chang Aarav Chavda Andrew Graffy Paul Gudmundsson Mitch Lee Sam Libby James Rowan Warren Smith Steven Tsai

May 17, 2012

Seniors Rodney Chen Richard Freling Max Marshall Kelan Nesbitt Paul Piccagli Samir Saidi Rohan Shetty Duncan Smart Nick Uebele

Here are Cum Laude members’ thoughts on the academic world and studying: How important is your induction to your academic goals? Marshall It’s an indelible honor. As an academician, as a scholar, as man of the written word and the thinking thought, I put quintessential essence on leading a life of mind. Rowan I realize it’s a great honor to be among the best (by one measure) of the best and all that, but I don’t see it as being paradigm-altering in any way. Lee More than anything, being inducted has affirmed my efforts as important, that I can continue to work hard knowing that someone beyond me will appreciate my efforts. How did you work to reach this position of academic success? Saidi My freshman year transcript had a few blemishes on it, but I didn’t let them discourage me and decided to challenge myself with plenty of APs junior and senior year. I think my biggest accomplishment was not giving up after a tough freshman year.

STANDING PROUD Cum Laude Society members line up in the chapel. (first row) Rodney Chen, Nick Uebele, Duncan Smart, Charles Jin, Samir Saidi, Joe Bush, Rohan Shetty, Taylor Wilson, Max Marshall, Garrett Watumull, Kelan Nesbitt, Greg Kinman, Paul Piccagli, Alex Nguyen, Richard Freling, Jason Altschuler, Patrick Ng, Prajan Divakar, (second row) Mitch Lee, Warren Smith, James Rowan, Will Chang, Galen Gao, Aarav Chavda, Chandler Burke, Andrew Graffy, Paul Gudmundsson, Sam Libby and Steven Tsai.

Nesbitt I think the most important part of academic success is the hours you spend outside the classroom, whether in clubs, on the field, or with friends. You have to have fun along the way, or what is it worth? Tsai You don’t really prepare for academic success…you just keep on working everyday. What is your favorite subject? Gudmundsson I don’t have a favorite class, but I like the math and sciences because I plan to go into either medicine or engineering. Smith I don’t know why I prefer physics and chemistry to ancient and modern history, but I think it has to do with a curiosity I’ve developed for how the world works. Rowan Math. I enjoy problem solving, and I also like being around people that share the mathematical mentality. What is your least favorite subject? Nesbitt English would be my least favorite, although I enjoy free writing. Lee History, I just cannot remember that much stuff, especially when I read it. Facts and memori-

zation are not my friend.

would have elsewhere.

What is your ideal study environment?

Rowan Having highly qualified teachers enthusiastic about putting in extra work to help students understand something or providing enrichment for students that might be ahead of the class is definitely not something to be taken for granted.

Smith After exercising, in a room lit only by the light coming in through the windows. I usually try to work alone. Lee I study best in academic environments, like school, but only when my friends are not around because I distract myself and them. I study best, for instance, before school in the library when it is quiet and calm. Tsai I always hole myself up in my room to study in peace. Nesbitt I either have to be alone in silence or with other focused people in a group session. I’m easily distracted when people start talking about the upcoming weekend or whatever, because let’s be honest I’m way more excited for that then the integration of a Taylor polynomial.

What will you do next year after being inducted?

How has the school community helped your acadmic success?

Nesbitt I plan on continuing to achieve academically at Duke next year. Both of the St. Mark’s guys who go there from last year are Cum Laude, and they’re both doing excellent work at North Carolina’s best institution of learning. So I have a lot to live up to.

Saidi Ironically, my courses challenged me at every opportunity, but my teachers helped me at every opportunity. These two conditions allowed me to learn more than I

ACADEMIC ALL-STARS story by Vikram Pattabi, staff writer | photos by Andrew Goodman, visuals director

RECOGNIZED AT ANNUAL SPRING ALUMNI DINNER APRIL 20

Four honored for 40 years of service to the community by SHOURYA KUMAR staff writer FOUR DECADES AGO, FOUR WOMEN CAME to 10600 Preston Road in search of jobs. Four decades ago, in 1972, Richard Nixon was president, The Godfather made its debut and the Dallas Cowboys won their first Super Bowl. Four decades have passed, but these four women have found more than jobs at the school— they have found homes. Mary Ann Livengood, Lucy Sheppard, Thelma Levells and Maxine Cantley, were recognized at the Spring Alumni Dinner April 20 for their 40 years of service. Over the years, Livengood has taught creative music classes in the Lower School, given piano lessons and dedicated much of her time to the chapel and choir “I can honestly say that these gloriously scaffolded opportunities carved out the landscape of my very soul,” Livengood said. “All of us are asked to make a difference here, and we are all better because of that expectation.” After having taught thousands of kids and spent decades on a changing campus, Livengood has stayed on as a constant, devoting herself to the school. “This has never felt like a job,” she said. “It’s a hopeful, exciting, continuous life….a loving fam-

ily with lots of children. St. Mark’s is my home.” In addition to Livengood, Sheppard, Levells and Cantley have all made themselves homes on campus. Science Department Chair Stephanie Barta described the three in a speech she gave at the Spring Alumni Dinner. “Lucy is the reigning queen of the St. Mark’s salad bar,” she said. “Thelma is our extraordinary baker. Maxine is a remarkable force of nature.” Sheppard’s kindness permeates through the kitchen staff, leaving one with a lasting impression. “[Sheppard’s] work is her signature and a beautiful legacy for all those who will one day try to follow her,” Barta said. Levells is able to immerse herself in the rich culture of the school by remaining a dominant figure of the kitchen staff. “It meant a lot to me,” she said. “It means they care for me and that’s why they did it for me, I guess. Everyone around here treats me like I’m human. They’re like a family to me.” Cantley’s compassion and rich personality brings out her best every day. She loves where she is. “No one at St. Mark’s has ever been as outspoken in her views or had a deeper love and affection for the entire school community,” Barta said of Cantley.

Lee St. Mark’s has pushed me to the limits of my academic prowess more than any other school, and therefore has stimulated my growth more than any other school. I have benefited from St. Mark’s because it appreciates academic endeavors and encourages us to view learning as the greatest use of our time.

Saidi I plan on continuing to earn great accomplishments in college, graduate school, and in my career. I will continue to strive for excellence in everything I do, just as every Marksman before me has.

S C O U T I N G

news

S A L A T I N O ’ S

Senior Eagle Scout Roland Salatino recently received his 17th Eagle Palm award, an accomplishment reached by less than two dozen other Boy Scouts in more than 100 years.

Sc uting for

Adventure

or most people, becoming an Eagle Scout is the end of their journey in Boy Scouts. However, for senior Roland Salatino, attaining the rank of Eagle was only the beginning. And, after he became an Eagle Scout, he never looked back. Roland was self-motivated to earn Merit Badges and explore what Boy Scouts had to offer. “When I first joined Scouts, I saw all these cool Merit Badges, and I remember thinking that I wanted to get them all,” Roland said. “For the most part, it was me driving myself, but, being a kid, there were a few times when my mom and dad had to nudge me in the right direction.” Eventually, Roland earned every Merit Badge. When he attained the rank of Eagle Scout at the age of 13, there were only 121 Merit Badges, and he completed his last Merit Badge shortly after becoming an Eagle Scout. “However, they did come out with more Merit Badges the following year,” Roland said. “I proceeded to earn most of them too. I never really made a decision to not stop, but, instead, I always had my mind set on going until I was 18.” Although Roland now has 17 of 20 possible Eagle Palms, the Merit Badges and experiences

mean more to him than the actual award. “It’s actually an odd feeling,” Roland said. “The Palms themselves don’t quite mean as much to me as the experiences. For me, each Merit Badge has a story behind it, and that means a lot more to me than the Palms, which are just recognition that I got the Merit Badges.” Roland’s parents also believe that the experience was much more valuable than the achievement itself. “From the perspective of what he’s learned, it’s been very rewarding, even for us,” Kerry said. “No other activity has taught him that much about himself and others. Becoming an Eagle has made him the man he is today.” Joe and Kerry say that supporting Roland and watching him grow and develop through Scouting has been priceless. “It’s really been a feeling of pride and pleasure watching him and seeing his curiosity and determination to do projects and

pursue his Eagle Palms,” Joe said. “Watching him go through Scouting has been great.” Although Roland is now 18 years old and cannot earn any more Eagle Palms, he says that Scouting will definitely remain part of his lifestyle forever. “I try to stay active in my troop, and when I have kids, I’ll introduce them to Scouting, too,” Roland said. “Maybe I’ll even be a Scoutmaster, and bonding with my kids through Scouting would be a great experience.”

SHOWING OFF HIS SASH Senior Roland Salatino displays his sash covered with merit badges ranging from First Aid to Insect Collecting. He has earned a whopping total of 125 merit badges.

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Salatino, who first started Scouting as an eight year-old Cub Scout, now has 17 Eagle Palms, awarded for completing five Merit Badges after becoming an Eagle Scout and being active in a troop for three months. “I first got interested in Scouting when my parents told me about Cub Scouts,” Salatino said. “They told me how fun it was to go camping with friends and I thought that sounded good, so I was all for it.” Both Roland’s father, Joe, and mother, Kerry, were involved in Scouting as children. Kerry was a Girl Scout as a child, and Joe spent several years in Cub Scouts. However, between schoolwork and his after-school job, he couldn’t keep it up, but he did introduce Roland to Scouting. “After we exposed Roland to Cub Scouts, he really enjoyed it,” Joe said. “He said he definitely wanted to pursue Scouting, and I think that this experience in Cub Scouts was motivational for him.” After finishing Cub Scouts,

SCOUTING FOR ADVENTURE story by Tabish Dayani, staff writer | photo by Riley Graham, staff photographer

May 17, 2012 5

news

G A R D E N I N G

Healthier

harvests

DIGGING IT UP Lower schoolers work on the school garden sponsored by third grade teacher Catherine Wetzel’s Garden Club. The garden provides both an opportunity for students to learn and food for the cafeteria’s salad bar.

LOWER SCHOOL GARDEN CLUB PROVIDES FOOD FOR CAFETERIA SALAD BAR

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arksmen know the cafeteria like the back of their grease-stained hands. They mix sauces like a chemistry titration lab, leap over each other like hurdles on chocolate milk day and can judge a cookie’s taste just by looking at it. But what these hungry students may not know is where this food comes from. And in the salad bar’s case, it comes from the soil of 10600 Preston Road. Although it is a small percentage, an amount of produce from third-grade teacher Catherine Wetzel’s Garden Club is served in the cafeteria. According to Wetzel, who has headed the club for five years, the cafeteria is making an effort to combine grown produce with its purchased goods. “We have a lot of herbs out there that, if they don’t die, we should be able to use in the cafeteria,” Wetzel said. “An herb garden would be fantastic for the whole cafeteria; I think our foods would even taste better. Because even if you buy regular potatoes from a vender, you can still use our parsley or something that we have growing.” Director of Food Services Sally Stephens agrees with this plan of action for the cafeteria, saying that having natural ingredients is also healthier for students. “It’s more nutritional not necessar-

ily because there are more nutrients from what we pull out of our garden,” Stevens said, “but mostly because it goes right into the cafeteria—there’s no middle man. The longer vegetables set, the more vitamins they lose. And since we bring it in 15 or 30 minutes before we put it out, you can’t get a more nutritious vegetable.” Most Marksmen know this garden, if they know it at all, as the small patch of land next to the tennis courts. Wetzel views this land as important from an educational perspective. “Kids need to know what food looks like, especially when it grows,” she said. “I mean, it’s not really real when it’s from the grocery store. The kids are actually very surprised at how long it takes to grow something and to wait for it.” Science Department Chair Stephanie Barta agrees with this hands-on mentality, saying the only way people can understand and value food is if they watch it grow. “I don’t want to turn this into the St. Mark’s School of Farming or anything like that,” Barta said, “but do you know how a lot of your peers take food and throw it out or say that you get squash only from the grocery store? They don’t really have the concept of what goes into raising fruits and other kinds of foods.”

Barta, like both Wetzel and Stephens, believes a bigger garden would be beneficial to the school in several ways. An expanded garden has been one of Barta’s goals for years. “What I’ve wanted for the last four or five years,” she said, “is a huge school garden behind the batting cages all the way to Preston Road. It would just be, I think, really cool.” A bigger garden would also mean more vegetables for the cafeteria, according to Stephens. She endorses a larger plot because of the possibility of having all-natural vegetables for the salad bar. “If we had a bigger garden, we could harvest enough to meet most of our needs with a lot of the greens over here,” Stephens said. “We would need a large space—probably some space by the greenhouse closer to the science building. I think if we could do that, then we could probably meet 50 to 75 percent of the needs of the salad bar just from our own garden.” However, according to Barta, a bigger garden would also be easier to incorporate into academic curricula. Whereas Wetzel is now one of the few who uses the garden in her Lower School science classes, with a bigger garden, Barta believes she will no longer be the only one.

HEALTHIER HARVESTS story by Nabeel Muscatwalla, staff writer | photo by Andrew Goodman, visuals director

Gus Lee to speak at Commencement May 17, 2012

Continued, from page 1

“They haven’t been flashy with their spirit, but they’ve been out at games, they show up to places not all seniors have shown up to,” Sutcliffe said. “And they cheer in respectful ways, loudly, where not all senior classes have.” In addition, Crawford believes that the class’s closeness is one of its defining characteristics. “We’re a pretty good

group of guys,” he said. “We’re a really tightly knit class, we have a lot of guys who really push things forward rather than dragging things back. We really just have a lot of solid guys top to bottom.” But it will not be easy separating the community from the boys. As the name Commencement suggests, the ceremony is most important because it marks the

beginning of a new journey for the graduating class of Marksmen. “I watch them walk across stage and I feel just a smidge like they’re sons walking across stage, not like a mom would but it’s kindred to that spirit,” Sutcliffe said. “But I’m very happy to see them go because I know that they’ll be embarking on a new wonderful adventure.”

Final exam schedule

Friday, May 18

Monday, May 21

8:30-10:30 a.m. Algebra I & Intro. Algebra Algebra I-Honors 1:oo-3:30 p.m. Photography Woodworking

8:30-10:30 a.m. U.S. History Science 8 1:oo-3:30 p.m. Foundations of World Society Modern World

Saturday, May 19 8:30-10:30 a.m. Chinese IB and II Chinese III Advanced Spanish A, A-Honors Upper School Introductory Spanish Intermediate Spanish A, Int. B Advanced Spanish B Japanese—Mullett Japanese—Jinbo Latin 1:oo-3:30 p.m. Chinese IV, IV-Honors, AP Japanese—Barber

Tuesday, May 22 8:30-10:30 a.m. Algebra II, Algebra II-Honors Geometry, Geometry-Honors Precalculus, Precalculus-Honors Wednesday, May 23 8:30-10:30 a.m. Biology Information Engineering Chemistry, Applied Chemistry 1:oo-3:30 p.m. Physics, Conceptual Physics Environmental Science

“Any life science class would profit from it. Chemistry could be looking at fertilizers and math classes could be looking at graphing and other aspects of quantitative analysis of the garden. I just think it would be a great place for the school to come together in the curriculum.” But more than anything, Barta says that a garden is beneficial mostly for a learning experience. To her, there is no harm in having a garden, as it provides a sense of responsibility to the Lower School students. “How can you hate a garden? That’s like not liking motherhood or apple pie,” she said. “There’s something really cool about being responsible to take care of something that is dependent, and I think, for especially the younger kids, learning that you’re responsible for the care of something is a good life lesson as well.”

This sprouting life Garden vegetables • Parsley • Tarragon • Cabbage • Radish

• Arugala • Dill • Rosemary • Broccoli

O L Y M P I A N S

news

M A T H

Crunching the numbers

MATHLETES After having achieved honorable mention on United States of America Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAJMO), sophomore Victor Zhou shows off the mathematical abilities that he has practiced for so long to acquire.

SOPHOMORE VICTOR ZHOU AND FRESHMAN RAYMOND GUO COMPETE IN PRESTIGIOUS UNITED STATES OF AMERICA JUNIOR MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD

said. “The test is scored out of 42 points, with seven points per problem, and the test was much harder this year than in previous years. So my expectation is that I will score between 14 and 16 points.” Zhou has developed a practice regimen that allows him to exercise as much control as possible over whatever the future holds. He practices for months before major competitions like USAJMO. “Yeah, I do get a little nervous sometimes, but right before the competition I tell myself that whatever happens just happens and there’s really nothing I can change anymore,” Zhou said. “Also, after having participated in so many different competitions, I’ve gotten used to the pressure before and during a test.” Freshman Raymond Guo qualified for the USAJMO as well. But this was his first crack at the competition, and he struggled because of his lack of experience. “The test was extremely hard and I feel that I did pretty poorly,” Guo said. “I wish I could have taken it last year so that I would be a little more prepared this year. But that’s not really important because I will bounce back next year with more experience and more knowledge.” All of the test’s problems require a sol-

id mathematical foundation as well as the ability to take more abstract concepts and apply them. A great deal of both mental and physical endurance is also needed as the challenging problems are stretched out over two days and nine hours. “USAJMO is radically different from all other math competitions and school math tests in general because of the complex way the problems are written,” Zhou said. “It’s also easier said than done to get through two days of four and a half hour mathematics competitions.”

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YEAH, I DO GET A LITTLE NERVOUS SOMETIMES, BUT RIGHT BEFORE THE COMPETITION I TELL MYSELF THAT WHATEVER HAPPENS JUST HAPPENS AND THERE’S REALLY NOTHING I CAN CHANGE ANYMORE — Sophomore Victor Zhou

According to Guo, the key to success in math is a love of the subject. “Although a lot of people think otherwise, math is actually pretty fun,” Guo said. “It feels really good when you win something, but even if you attend a contest where there are a lot of students that are better than you, you still get to enjoy the sense of intense competition.” Guo and Zhou both credit the Math Team’s captains for helping their math skills: junior James Rowan and seniors Jason Altschuler and Charles Jin. “The guys involved with the math club have most definitely helped me become a better mathematician,” Zhou said. “Practicing and competing with them has pushed me to be the best I can be.” While Zhou is happy with his past success in math competitions, he hopes to continue to make a name for himself in the world of math. “My performance on the USAJMO last year was probably the best I’ve ever done as I was only a few points away from making the top 24,” Zhou said. “But I hope to continue qualifying for the Math Olympiad, doing well on it and working with the younger kids rising up the ranks and helping them achieve their potential in math.”

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ophomore Victor Zhou unzipped his pencil bag and took out a pair of #2 pencils, sharpened to a fine, razor-sharp point. He placed them on his desk before scrounging around for one of his pale pink erasers. Laid out in front of Zhou were some of the most difficult mathematical problems he had ever seen. He was trying to solve six proofs that covered algebra, geometry and calculus, along with every other mathematical concept he had ever learned. Zhou took a deep breath. After flipping through the test’s pages and scanning the problems one last time, he put pencil to paper, diving headfirst into the United States of America Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAJMO). The test, which was administered April 24 and 25 at school, is open to only the top 250 mathematicians in the nation who are currently enrolled in grades ten or below. Students must undergo two qualifying tests, the American Mathematical Competition 10 and the American Invitational Mathematical Examination, before they are even considered for the USAJMO. “This is the third year in a row that I have qualified for the USAJMO,” Zhou

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS story by Aarohan Burma, staff writer | photo by Andrew Goodman, visuals director

After leading the Board of Trustees for the past two years, Ken Hersh ’81 will pass the 13-year Board member and classmate Randall Fojtasek ’81.

lead the Board by the Committee of Trustees and then being voted into office by trustees. He says one of his teachers at the school inspired him to give back to the community in such a way. “Retired Master Teacher Tom Adams always reminded us of our obligation to give back,” Fojtasek said. “He set a fine example for all of us to follow.” And after setting such a fine example for the past two years, Hersh is prepared to relinquish the board to such a confident and able successor. “The Board at St. Mark’s serves a great purpose in support of the headmaster,” Hersh

said. “Randall has been a vital member of the Board for many years and will be a great leader for the organization.” Likewise, Fojtasek hopes to continue the same strong leadership that Hersh during his time as president of the Board. But Fojtasek says that his main goal will be to help Headmaster Arnie Holtberg improve the school. “Mr. Holtberg is a fantastic leader,” Fojtasek said, “And we support him by helping to provide the resources that he needs to continue his good work with students, teachers and administrators.”

May 17, 2012

presidency to

by RYAN MILLER staff writer tarting in July, Randall Fojtasek ’81 will replace Ken Hersh ’81 as the new president of the Board of Trustees. Fojtasek, a 13-year member of the board, will guide the Board in carrying out the goals and mission of the organization. “I have been a member of the Board longer than I was a student,” Fojtasek said. “Board service is easy because I believe in the mission of the school. Giving back to the community is important to me.” Fojtasek was nominated to

PHOTO COURTESY BRAZONINV.COM

Randall Fojtasek ’81 to replace Ken Hersh ’81 as Board of Trustees president

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Athens band | 10

R O D E R I C K

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D E M M I N G S

devotion

service attitude not just words FOR SENIOR RODERICK DEMMINGS, BUILDING THE ST. MARK’S COMMUNITY IS HIS MISSION

about receiving his first keyboard, the one he “cut his teeth on”, in an Austin Street Christmas celebration. He doesn’t remember the first two times, in Genesis Women’s Shelter, but even the secondhand details are enough to run my finger over to the recorder and hit the stop button for a bit. I pick back up on his third experience. “The third time my mom was spending all her money on bills, trying to keep us in a house, trying to provide food on a single mother’s income and she just couldn’t do it,” he said. “She took our stuff and put it in storage and we went to Austin Street.” We talk about standing in front of the Upper School and telling that story. Like he did then, his words are strong and his inflection never changes to anything resembling sadness. “I wasn’t sad or nervous,” he said, still wearing an easy smile. “I just wanted to get that out there that really anyone can be homeless. Everybody out there is only two or three paychecks away from it. It was good instead of people at school thinking they were giving to John Doe, they were giving to a future me, someone as close to home as I am.” oon, we’re back to the community: Roderick’s favorite subject. I ask him about the love he gets on the campus, the graduation presents from mothers who’ve met him twice, the fact that it takes him 20 minutes to get across campus, the students that stop him to talk and the teachers who don’t mind when he bounces in late. “I do know why that attitude’s around,” he says after a brief pause. “It’s because I’m constantly serving you guys. And when you see that love and respect, people want to reciprocate it. A perfect example of that service is the Gospel Choir, which Roderick founded this year with minimal faculty help and grew into one of the largest student-run organization on campus. When we talk about a student who recently lost his grandmother, Rod points out why the choir was there. “Us mortal people, we can’t provide the ground to our beings, we’re not strong enough, we’re not sturdy enough,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons that when [his] grandmother passed away, I wanted gospel choir to be there. In my church, when someone’s

brother S

GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY Instead of just going through the motions day after day, senior Roderick Demmings does more than just serve his community. He has embraced the school and made it his own.

he thing is, he won’t stop talking about me. Here I am, trying to interview Roderick Demmings, pianist extraordinaire, Gospel Choir director and campus icon, and he wants to hear about how my wrestling’s going and how my sweet mother is. We’ve only just sat down in Centennial Hall with two Cokes and a recorder in between us and I’ve already met challenge number one in this article: getting Rod to talk about himself. Because Roderick doesn’t really want to talk about himself. He wants to talk about the school, the community he entered in seventh grade and became ingrained in through a quick smile and a “Hey, Bubba” for everyone he meets. He doesn’t want to talk about his accomplishments: playing piano in Carnegie Hall or the huge scholarship offers waiting for him at Johns Hopkins and Oberlin. He wants to talk about how well the lacrosse team is doing or when the next band concert is, because those things are what matter to him. “YOU, you personally,” he

says, pointing to my chest, “I believe what you do as a member of our community is a reflection on me, and I’m going to do everything I can to help you. Whether you’ve had a bad day and I can cheer you up some, whether you need an interview like right here today, if you need a wrestling partner to practice with, that’s what I’m going to be doing.” I ask him where he found this attitude, his eyes light up when he describes the day he sat in junior English and listened to Dr. Martin Stegemoeller talk about “owning the totality of the community that you belong to.” When he sees my

eyebrows raise and the confused look on my face, he smiles and starts to explain. “It’s like this, if the football team goes out and wins, I’m happy because they are an extension of me and I am an extension of them,” he says. “Now I’ve taken that thought and I’ve individualized that to just about everything around me.” As the whole campus now knows, Rod wasn’t always in a community like St. Mark’s. This Christmas, he stood in front of the entire Upper School and told us that he had been homeless three times and delivered a story

NOT JUST WORDS story by Will Moor, managing editor | photo by Andrew Goodman, visuals director

by the numbers

Marksmen in spring play, ‘Noises Off’

Students on the Visiting Scholars Advisory Board

Spring play brings laughs, success

^ Taylor Wilson, who

played ‘Freddie’ in the play.

The Upper School play “Noises Off,” directed by Marion Glorioso, premiered from April 27 to April 29 at the Black Box theatre to a full audience. The comedic ‘play within a play’ detailed the actors in a fictional play called Nothing On and the slapstick chaos behind the scenes. “Noises Off” was performed by an ensemble cast, including junior Taubert Nadalini portraying the director. Other actors included freshman William Sydney, junior Michael Gohlke and seniors Rishi Roy and Taylor Wilson, and Hockadaisies Ashley Rich and Madison Kaminski.

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family passes away, the church is always there to gird them up. That’s why I created gospel choir, for times like these.” He tells me about the effect that the Gospel Choir has had on people, and it’s been more effective than he could have dreamed. Like most of what he does, the choir is rooted in love for the campus. “People ask me why I get here so early in the morning,” he said. “I get here early so I can see you all, so I can smile at you, so I can be there. I tire in this place but I’ll never tire of it.” And when it’s time to go off to college? “It’s to the point where May 25 is going to be one of the worst days of my life,” he said. “When I have to say goodbye to you all.” But what about still being part of the campus as he gets older through the alumni office? He rejects the idea of staying so far. “I’ll only go to undergrad and then I’m going to come back here and start teaching,” he said “I won’t be gone for too long, but even though I’ll continue to build communities St. Mark’s will always be nearest and dearest to my heart.” What’s he going to teach? “Oh, English for sure,” he says. We shut off the recorder and talk about all manner of things for a little while: faith, girlfriends, role models. Even though he has a recital to get to, Roderick seems perfectly content to listen to me talk, and I’m happy to soak up every moment I can with him. As we walk to our cars, Rod says something that sums up our entire conversation and, indeed, his entire career at St. Mark’s. “I’m not waiting to go to heaven,” he says “This is heaven, Bubba. Every day from seven to seven or whenever I’m done with what I need to do. This is heaven.”

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IT’S TO THE POINT WHERE MAY 25 IS GOING TO BE ONE OF THE WORST DAYS OF MY LIFE. WHEN I HAVE TO SAY GOODBYE TO YOU ALL.

— Senior Roderick Demmings

Exchange students returning Years in a row photography has won ‘Top Program’ from ATPI home when school ends

Pianists show off skills

After preparing for the entire school year, ten students from piano studies instructor Angela Hendricks’s class attended the annual Achievement Auditions hosted by the Dallas Music Teachers Association April 21 at King of Glory Lutheran Church. “I think this is a great opportunity for my students, who are doing well on their level of accomplishment to receive positive critique as well as tips on how to improve,” Hendricks said.

Visiting Scholars Student Board

In the first meeting of the newly established Visiting Scholar Student Advisory Board May 8, students worked with Director of Visiting Scholars Board Bobbi Mailer and math teacher Majorie Morrison to make recommendations for Headmaster Arnie Holtberg. “It’s great that they are coming to the students for advice,” sophomore member Sam Perkins said. “By going directly to the audience, we can bring in even more captivating speakers for the students.”

After Final Assembly May 25, students will depart 10600 Preston Road and begin their summer lives. They will travel, work, train and maybe even study. Here’s a look into these excursions soon to happen.

Training for next season

The cross country team is about to begin training for next season. Throughout the summer, runners in town will meet early in the mornings to train and improve for next season. Junior Taubert Nadalini is a runner who aims to be in top shape once the season runs around.

Taubert Nadalini

Why do you run? It’s so important that we stay in shape throughout the summer. The camaraderie we all have throughout the season stems from summer training. What is an interesting aspect to these runs? One of the cool things about these runs is that they’re all athlete-led. What are the keys to surviving? Lots of water, lots of sleep. We try to make the runs early because it’s so hot. Tips for someone who wants to run in the summer? Be bold. Wake yourself up early to go on an easy run a few times each week.

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Summer adventures

An exotic expedition

Certain students also have the opportunity to go on school trips to enhance their skills. Staff from The ReMarker will travel to Columbia University to attend a weeklong journalism workshop, and debaters will go to Michigan State University and Georgetown University to attend debate camps. Junior Charles Thompson is going to Cambodia and Laos with fellow students on a photography expedition. Who is going? There will be ten St. Mark’s students and five adults. How long is the trip? The trip will be 13 days to Southeast Asia, primarily Cambodia, where we will stay for eight days. We also are going to Laos and Bangkok, Thailand. What are you most looking forward to? I’m definitely looking forward to seeing all of the small villages. To be in countries that are very different from the well-developed and westernized lifestyle I’m used to will be eye-opening. Why are you going? The purpose of the trip is primarily to take pictures. I hope to come away with some really good pictures. Charles

Thompson >

A busy summer: Day Camp and Exeter

Some students attend academic programs during the summer in order to be better prepared for the school’s curriculum or for SAT/ACT Prep. One of these students is sophomore Harrison Perkins, who is going to Phillips Exeter Academy for five weeks. In addition, Perkins will work at summer camp here for the first few weeks of summer. What is the best part of Day Camp? The best part is waking up every morning to try to help my kids grow as a group. It’s a ton of fun. What is your experience working here? This will be my second year working at St. Mark’s summer camp for ages nine and ten. What do you most look forward to? I’m excited to see kids from last year and bond with counselors from last year again. What did you learn at summer camp? I learned how to deal with children, how to be patient and how to manage my summer time better.

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What classes will you be taking? I will be taking an advanced chemistry and grammar class along with an SAT preparatory class. Have you done something like this before? I went to Exeter at the end of my seventh-grade year at St. Mark’s, and I studied at Emory two years ago with a program called Summer Institute for the Gifted. What are you looking forward to? I am excited to spend time away from home and meet new people from around the world. Also, I’m excited to spend time in nearby Boston. Why are you going? I hope to use this opportunity to increase my grammar skills and help better prepare myself for the SAT.

< Harrison Perkins

Working all summer

Off to Zimbabwe

Summer isn’t all fun and games— some students will be working to earn money. Some will lifeguard, others will intern. Sophomore Victor Calvillo will continue his job at Jackson’s Home and Garden, a nursery and patio store near Love Field.

Others vacation across the globe. Some will visit family in Texas, others will relax in Martha’s Vineyard. Some will be lucky enough to travel to exotic places. Seventh grader Rob Crow will be spending two weeks in Zimbabwe.

FLICKR.COM PHOTO

< Rob Crow

What is your job description? I will give customers details about new patio furniture and grills the store has to offer while helping to load purchased items into their cars. When did you start working there, and why? I have been working there since Thanksgiving break. My brother works there and it’s a job that has decent pay, so I thought I’d give it a try. What is challenging about the job? The hardest part of the job is loading everything into the customer’s vehicles and making it fit. Sometimes they buy large pots and other times they buy heavy grills. What do you most look forward to? My favorite moment was the day I got $75 in tips, so I’m most excited about making some money. Victor Calvillo >

May 17, 2012

Who are you going with? I am going with Elias Ware, another seventh grader, and Charles Branch ’10. What is the purpose of the trip? I am going to hunt and go on a safari, but I’m afraid of getting killed by an animal. I can’t wear bright colors because they anger the animals, but I also can’t wear camouflage because their army will put me in jail. Do you need to take any shots? I got many vaccinations for another trip, but I also have to take a malaria medicine to protect myself from the mosquitoes. What do you dread? It’s about a 13-hour plane ride, and I’m not looking forward to that.

SUMMER ADVENTURES story by Dylan Clark and Aidan Dewar, scene editors | photos by Andrew Goodman, visuals director and Corbin Walp, staff photographer

Photography program continues success at state level; wins ‘Top Program’ sixth year in a row by FORD ROBINSON staff writer THE SCHOOL’S PHOTOGRAPHY program continued its legacy as the top program in Texas for the sixth year in a row after winning Association of Texas Photography Instructors (ATPI) Top Program Award, which was announced April 27. Students submitted four portfolios of ten photographs each into this year’s competition categories: architecture, still life, portrait and thematic where they chose to submit iPhone photographs. Photography instructor Scott Hunt, along with the students, decided to use iPhone photographs for their entry into the thematic

category. “I think that the iPhone category is definitely the most unique set of ten photographs we entered,” Hunt said. “But you never know how a judge is going to view an iPhone portfolio. He might think that there is no creativity in using iPhone photographs because the phone did everything for the image and it took no photographic skill on the part of the student.” There are only three senior photographers in Hunt’s program this year. Because of this, many underclassmen were needed to continue the legacy as the top program. Sophomore Max Wolens submitted five photographs to the competition.

“It feels great knowing that our work was selected for first place again,” Wolens said. “I think we need to continue to develop our younger students to continue our legacy of success for the program.” Senior Greg Kinman, a part of the photography program for four years of Upper School. “There are only three photographers in my grade,” Kinman said, “so our win this year is a testament to how deep the strength of the program goes. It’s good to know that our program is still on top even with very young talent.” And, for the first time, an eighth-grader, Corbin Walp, had work submitted in the competition. Walp’s photograph was one

of ten entered into the portrait category. His entry went on to win first in state. “It feels great to be able to have one of my photos among the rest of the upper schoolers’ work,” Walp said. “I really look up to those guys, and to have one of my photos recognized by them is truly an honor.” Each school featured in the competition is allowed to submit four portfolios of ten photographs each. The possible portfolios include architecture, documentary/ photojournalism, landscape/nature, sports, portrait, still life and the thematic category. Forty-nine portfolios were submitted by the participating schools.

The thematic category is structured in such a way that each program is allowed to choose the theme of the portfolio. Hunt’s students won first place in the state in still life, portrait and the thematic category and won second place in the state for their architecture portfolio. Kinman is grateful to end his photography career here with another Top Program win and will continue to watch the underclassmen continue the program’s legacy. “Even though this is my last year,” Kinman said, “I’m excited to see what the underclassmen will produce in the coming years, and I’m sure that they’ll keep up the tradition.”

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S T U D E N T

B A N D

Band of brothers

BANDING TOGETHER The members of Athens band (far left) hang out regularly. Dominic Garcia slaps the bass (above) while Brendan Freeman shreds the guitar (left).

ATHENS — A BAND COMPRISED OF FOUR JUNIOR MARKSMEN — IS EMERGING AS A VERSATILE GROUP ON THE DALLAS MUSIC SCENE. ORIGINALLY FORMING TOGETHER AS SEVENTH GRADERS WITH A SHARED LOVE OF MUSIC, THE BAND IS NOW MAKING PROFITS FROM GIGS ACROSS THE METROPLEX.

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he house is silent aside from a distant bass riff. The thick noise emanates down junior Brendan Freeman’s hall, getting louder and louder, leading to the door of what seems to be a closet. Through the cracked door, junior Dominic Garcia bends his imposing figure over his bass. The large guitar looks like a toy surrounded by his lineman frame. His eyes are closed and his ears are covered by headphones. But in front of a computer, operated by Freeman, his face conveys rapt attention. As he plucks strings and slides his hand rapidly up and down the neck of the guitar, his head swings up and falls down like a massive metronome. For a few moments, instrument, equipment and musician blend finely in holistic dedication to the production of sound. All four members work in the Freeman’s home studio— a small guest room that looks like Guitar Center vomited all over it, combined with the forced intimacy of a hookah lounge. Junior drummer Chris Hicks immediately bursts into hysterical laughter

as sophomore manager Cole Gerthoffer stumbles into the room from the side door, which leads to a bathroom, tripping over equipment on his way to the couch. The student band Athens is recording music— typically a grueling, divisive affair for most bands—but they’re laughing non-stop, even having to re-record tracks because of un-stifled outbursts of laughter. Despite being all third trimester juniors, Athens finds time to record music. “It’s classic St. Mark’s,” Garcia said, “to be unable to focus on just one passion or interest.” Athens is not a group of rock band acolytes nor wannabees. Athens is made up of students of music; all of the members are in multiple bands at school, including concert band, studio band, football band, Blues Club and other musical organizations. “We take random aspects of music we like,” Garcia said, “and just throw it in there, see how it turns out.” The band aims for a different musical purpose in each of their songs. “Your Jokes” is in 5/4 time and in minor key. “Arizona” has layered chord progressions and is in major key. “Don’t Let Me Go” has a complicated rhythm section. A majority of

the ingenuity comes from Hicks. “Sometimes I’m really glad Chris doesn’t play guitar,” Freeman said, “because otherwise he’d be trying to get us to play gypsy scales or Hungarian jazz or in 13/8 time.” he band is led by founder Hinojosa, who uses his iPad to compose songs during classes or in airports and hotel rooms. Next to Hinojosa is Garcia, who was with him in Athens since the very beginning. The band is named after Garcia’s childhood home, a lake house in Athens. There, he and Hinojosa would retreat during the long weekends in seventh and eighth grade with their shabby instruments— a $100 Epiphone Les Paul Junior and a three-string bass— and emulate the sounds of rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. “We were obsessed,” Hinojosa said. Freeman came to the school as a new student sophomore year. “We met through the Blues Club,” Hinojosa said. “And talked on Facebook later that night and he was in.” Hicks replaced junior Lendon Hall as the drummer of Athens formally in the spring of sophomore year, when Hall

couldn’t play due to a lacrosse tournament. “[Hicks] was our number one fan,” Freeman said. “And then he got his dream job of drummer.” After an impressive performance, Hicks stayed with the band. Raised by two music teachers, Hicks has been grounded in music his whole life. “He’s got the best skill set out of all of us,” Garcia said. “He’s been brought up in it.” Members of Athens call Gerthoffer “White Butler,” after the Saturday Night Live skit featuring Jay-Z and Beyonce because both Gerthoffer and the fictional “White Butler” have been known to display their penchants for band Bon Iver. Gerthoffer, on a surface level, serves as the manager of the band. “I handle pretty much everything that a butler would,” Gerthoffer said, “Like, I get them drinks— but it’s cool because they’re some of my best friends.” Athens even split its profit from one of its gigs with Gerthoffer. “He’s our fifth member,” Freeman said. “We treasure him.” Hicks has another theory about the “White Butler.” “Cole’s like the band pet,” Hicks said.

BAND OF BROTHERS story by Henry Woram, editorial director | photos by Michael Doorey, head photographer

by HENRY WORAM editorial director WAKE. MEDITATE. TRAVEL THE STREETS of dirty, noisy Calcutta to Mother Teresa’s Home For The Dying to wash sheets and converse with the rapidly fading elderly of the city. Take a train, auto rickshaw and walk home, then write in the afternoon heat. This is how Jason Hinojosa ‘99, president of his senior class in high school, wrote his novel The Last Lawsons. “It was a hard book to write. It was emotional and painful to translate my experiences

to my fiction,” Hinojosa said. “And yet, as is sometimes the case with combinations of emotion and pain, it was ultimately freeing.” Hinojosa taught creative writing at an international school in Hong Kong before he thought about writing a novel of his own. “In that way,” Hinojosa said, “I was learning how to become a writer myself.” He began writing his novel in late 2009, shacked up in his brother’s guest room, “relying, as more than a few fledgling writers do,” Hinojosa said, “on familial charity.” Hinojosa fleshed out the remainder of his

novel in Calcutta. The book is written about a family dealing with trauma, but Hinojosa says it is about more than just a dysfunctional family. “It’s about the ways we tell stories, the stories we choose to tell and the power of that telling, “ he said. “It’s about finally finding the time and space to say what needs to be said, in whatever broken or perfect way we get to say it.” Hinojosa will be signing copies of The Last Lawsons May 19 at 2 p.m. at the Preston and Royal Barnes & Noble.

AMAZON.COM

May 17, 2012

Jason Hinojosa ’99 publishes novel, ‘The Last Lawsons’

E X C H A N G E

P R O G R A M

As they pack up their bags to return home, foreign exchange students — along with their host families — reflect on what they’ve learned this year.

reflections Final

1. Don’t make assumptions about the visitor or his country.

According to Dean of Campus Scott Gonzalez, Marksmen should not make presumptions about the visitor’s socioeconomic lifestyle. “Sometimes, we have a tendency to believe—because we are, frankly, one of the most prosperous nations on earth—that our way of living is vastly different,” Gonzalez said.

2. Throw the exchange student into American culture as soon as he arrives. According to sophomore Bradley Mankoff, his family welcomed Schrems by “throwing him into the mix.” “After we picked him up from the airport and unpacked, my dad, Sebastian and I went to a Dallas Cowboys preseason game,” Mankoff said. “It was a true all-American outing.” Schrems describes the experience. “The culture shock was pretty dramatic,” he said. “I have never been in a building with that many people in it. The stadium was mindblowing.”

3. Take the guest on trips to

let him experience the local culture.

Balog has been busy travelling in Japan. “I’ve learned to be more independent here,” Balog said. Schrems has travelled all over Texas. “America is the best country— maybe second-best behind Austria— in the world,” Schrems said.

4. Push the adjustment process. Mankoff encourages hosts to push the tempo of cultural assimilation. “Introduce him to your friends,” he said. “Do things considered universal like playing sports, watching movies, floundering around in a pool or even playing pool.”

5. Don’t treat the guest like a friend. “They’re going to be with you for a few months,” Hillier said. “Welcome a new son or brother to your family.” Schrems felt like he was a part of the Mankoff family as soon as he arrived. “They were so welcoming and kind the entire time,” Schrems said. “They simply treated me like their second son.”

CLOSE AS BROTHERS In his host family’s kitchen, sophomore exchange student Sebastian Schrems of Austria prepares a meal with his host “brother,” junior Cameron Hillier. According to Hillier, host families should treat exchange students as family members, not friends.

6. Use the local language.

Takimoto has improved his English. “It would be great for the exchange students to have a lot of conversations with their host family,” he said. Balog had the same experience with Japanese, thanks to immersion. “My vocabulary, speaking and listening skills have improved,” he said.

7. Share faith.

Gonzalez encourages hosts to take visitors to their places of worship. “I would caution you to not try to proselyte,” he said. “Just make him understand where you are in your faith system.”

8. Don’t try to copy others.

“Never change or transform to some other culture, just be yourself,” Agrawal said. “You can have ease of communication and friendliness without faking.”

9. Don’t waste time online.

During the first few days of Hansen Kuo’s visit to Japan, he was constantly on his computer. “Once I began immersing myself into the culture,” he said, “my stay

there became so much better.” Like Kuo, Balog has a regret. “I wouldn’t assert myself at times,” Balog said. “I would’ve had an even better time than I’ve already had.” Agrawal urges visitors not to be shy. “Talk your heart out,” he said. “Talk to anyone who you don’t know.”

10. Take advantage of the visit.

“The exchange program can be such a defining experience,” Schrems said. “Not a single chance should be wasted.” During his stay, Takimoto took advantage of school programs that have been tough for him. “The wrestling practices and ninth grade English have taught me how to push myself,” he said. The experience was so defining that Kuo said he learned “too many things to put in words.” As his day of departure approaches, Schrems thanks the school. “Looking back, I would not switch with anybody no matter what they would offer,” Schrems said. “I am so happy to be here, and I couldn’t be more thankful about the opportunity St. Mark’s gave me.”

remarker

hey opened up their houses, welcomed him and made him feel at home. Now, as the school year comes to a close, Austrian sophomore exchange student Sebastian Schrems will say goodbye to his hosts, the Mankoff and Hillier families. Besides Schrems, foreign exchange students include junior Jun Takimoto of Japan and junior Yash Agrawal of India. Sophomore Drew Balog also spent the year in Japan. As the day of departure draws near, the visitors and their hosts share what they’ve learned. Here are ten ways to make the most of an exchange student’s visit.

scene

F O R E I G N

FINAL REFLECTIONS story by Vishal Gokani, deputy editorial director | photo by Andrew Goodman, visuals director

May 17, 2012 11

perspective |

Wandering away from ‘Lion Tracks’? Lion Tracks is an afterthought in the everyday lives of most Marksmen. It is supposed to govern all aspects of behavior, but the reality is most students have never read it. The ReMarker investigates the reality of accepted behavior on campus versus what is written in Lion Tracks.

HE COMMUNITY HERE revolves around

rigor and structure. We have been told since day one that the foundation of these tenants and the core that allows this place to function is Lion Tracks. But how familiar is anyone with this allruling document buried deep in the back of the directory? Sure, we all know what our uniforms are supposed to look like and where we are supposed to park, but do we know the legislature that makes this school tick? If students would take the time to read Lion Tracks, they would notice the time and effort that went in to making such a comprehensive list. They would also see that the document has some flaws; it has outdated sections, ignored clauses and forgotten statements. At no one’s fault, these pieces of Lion Tracks have been pushed to the wayside for no other reason than time has dismissed them.

Editorial

Making ‘Lion Tracks’ more accessible, readable

his isn’t a plea to tighten the reigns. This isn’t about stricter punishments or multiplying the numbers on Perryman’s list. We want to bring the limitations of Lion Tracks (and we haven’t covered all of them) to the eyes of this community—we are simply encouraging housekeeping. We feel that there are two overarching problems in this legislating document. First and most importantly, most students and teachers do not read this document. Herein lies the source of our ignorance. To correct this, we suggest Lion Tracks be in a more accessible location. In the world of cell phones filled with expansive contacts lists, the directory is becoming more and more obsolete each year. It is simply not a prominent enough location to hold such a critical document to the governance of our school. The second problem with Lion Tracks is that there are many outdated clauses that have not withstood the test of time. To fix this, we propose a student committee that works with the administration to clean up and modernize Lion Tracks. Our community would benefit if we make sure every clause is relevant to and agrees with the St. Mark’s way of life. Lion Tracks is an essential part of our school and a very comprehensive and well done piece of legislature. We just feel that these changes will help it become the best it can be for our community.

In his own words: Assistant Head of Upper School John Perryman

n his position as assistant head of Upper School, Dr. John Perryman may be the administrator most directly associated with Lion Tracks. Here are some viewpoints he expressed in an interview with deputy managing editor George Law:

“

It’s important to know the rules that govern and structure our community, and this is one of the things that bind our community together. • Even though it can be dry reading, I highly recommend everyone reads Lion Tracks at the beginning of every year. • When I speak to the eighth grade parents, I tell them to review Lion Tracks before entering the Upper School. • It’s for everyone—students, parents, teachers and administrators alike. • It outlines the principles of our community. • Each year we review it and will make edits to fine-tune it, but we don’t change it unless Mr. Ferrell, Mr. Holtberg, Mr. Gonzalez and myself think such action is appropriate.

LION TRACKS story by Stephen Rambin, issues editor, George Law, de artwork by Purujit Chatterjee and Zuyva Sevilla, staff artists |

lion tracks

Re al i ty

CHECKS

Hair Length is an on-going issue WORD FOR WORD

THE REALITY

“Excesses of hairstyle and unkempt hair are out of bounds. No eccentric shaving of the head, hair below the collar, hair tied in a ponytail, or dyed hair is acceptable. No facial hair. Sideburns may not grow below the bottom of the ear.”

Lion Tracks says that hair should stay over a Marksman’s collar and sideburns should not be below his ear. However, when spring rolls around, the students on this campus love to sport the long hair.

“One’s playing ability directly relates to how good one looks. The more a player flows, the better he plays.” - JUNIOR BEAR GOLDSTEIN

The “flow” of junior lacrosse captain Bear Goldstein

Parking Too many cars makes a losing battle WORD FOR WORD

THE REALITY

“Level I offenses include, but are not limited to, the following: parking violations.”

We all see the trailers that take up two full spots each, and senior Mehdi Siddiqui’s parking shenanigans entertain us all. Recently though, the Hockaday bus was caught taking up threeand-a-half spots. And according to Lion Tracks, these offenses are supposed to result in a detention.

The Hockaday Bus attempting to park

“It’s really annoying when we have limited parking. I would love to see the Hockaday driver on Perryman’s list.” - SOPHOMORE MATT MAHOWALD

Driving Freshmen take up spots WORD FOR WORD

THE REALITY

“Because of space limitation, freshmen may not drive to school. Sophomores are not guaranteed a parking space. They need to apply to the assistant head of Upper School for a space after receiving a driver’s license.”

To conserve parking spaces, the administration decided to reserve driving as a privilege granted to only sophomores, juniors and seniors. Although freshmen drive to school and an excess of parking spots are still left over, most freshmen are not even aware of the existence of this rule.

Freshman Preston Hext cruising

“It’s not my fault I’m a 16 year old freshman, and my parents don’t want to drive me around. Driving is chill.” - FRESHMAN JAKE HOLDER

Here are five rules —

Campus Assistants Unnecessary form of campus involvement

currently presented

WORD WORD FOR FOR WORD WORD

THE REALITY

“Students at St. Mark’s are expected to lend a hand toward the physical upkeep of the school, and they may also be asked to work with a teacher or staff member in a regularly assigned job, such as library aide, laboratory assistant, or teacher aide. Boys are expected to attend their assigned service promptly and to be cooperative. If it is necessary to miss a service period, boys must first see their student service supervisor to arrange a make-up.”

According to Lion Tracks, Marksmen are expected to work regular jobs to maintain the campus. Working in jobs like library aides, laboratory assistants, teacher aides and others, we’re supposed to help out on campus. The manual labor working force of Marksmen is conspicuously absent from the campus, however.

in Lion Tracks — which, we feel, no one knows about and, more importantly, everyone disregards. These rules have not withstood

Freshman Weston Blair helps in the library

“After big changes on campus, such as the Centennial Building and online attendance, we really don’t have the need for student assistants anymore.” - MATH DEPARTMENT CHAIR JOE MILLIET

the test of time. Students and administrators alike have

Belts A way to personalize the uniform

dismissed several

WORD FOR WORD

THE REALITY

“School Uniform Requirements: conservative solid belt”

Students love to personalize their uniforms. Belts are an easy and inconsequential way to do so. Unfortunately, as of now, Vineyard Vines belts with eight different colors and intricate patterns are not technically legal.

rules as outdated and not useful—the only problem is that they remain in Lion Tracks.

eputy managing editor and Alexander Munoz, copy editor | photos by Andrew Goodman, visuals director

“I don’t see why they should tell me what belt I can wear. My belt is good looking and patriotic because I love this country.” - JUNIOR HUNTER BOOK

Stylish but not solid and conservative belts around campus

scene

Summer

R E V I E W S

E D G E F E S T

>Avicii Feel like failing your

Top-billed Black Keys live up to deserved, pre-concert hype

remarker

ow that Jack and Meg White have called it quits, The Black Keys are officially the biggest rock duo in the world. Their punchy, bluesy album, Brothers won three Grammys and went platinum. Their latest release, a madcap stomp through rust-belt rock, El Camino, debuted at Number 2 on the Billboard 200. So as guitarist/vocalist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney walked on stage at Edgefest, the world was theirs, and they knew it. As the top-billed act, The Black Keys were tasked with closing the festival, and by the time they arrived, the thousands-strong crowd was all but exhausted. Luckily, the Keys opened with their hit “Howling for You,” a song practically designed for waking up a stadium. Needless to say, it did the trick. When Carney’s furious pounding filled FC Dallas Stadium, the crowd received their Pulp Fictiongrade adrenaline shot. The duo then served up thrashing renditions of their El Camino hits, peppered in a few Brothers tracks, and garnished with some older classics. Highlights of the set included the thumping “Everlasting Light,” during which a ten-foot disco ball descended from the scaffolding and set the stadium aglow, and the show-closing thrasher, “I Got Mine,” which escalated into a ten-minute, raging jam session. As Auberbach played one last, earthrocking chord, his face was illuminated, but not only with a giddy smile. A barrage of fireworks lit up the wide Frisco sky, bringing a fitting close to a wild day of music and a truly electrifying final performance.

FLICKR.COM

May 17, 2012

DEADLY DUO Formed after dropping out of college, the duet of Patrick Carney (left) and Dan Auerbach is now at the top of the rock scene.

Evanescence puts in subpar performance; lulls concert-goers

o one needed Evanescence. Not only did their hard-rock style clash harshly with the festival’s more alternative theme, but after ten indentical-sounding songs, the crowd was nearly bored to tears. The band closed with their biggest “hit,” “Bring Me to Life.” As singer Amy Lee pleaded, “Wake me up inside,” we were all falling asleep. Luckily, in a day filled with so many truly exceptional, original bands, not even Evanescence could ruin the fun.

D+

Blue October disappoints an excited, educated crowd

n Blue October’s studio recordings, singer Justin Furstenfeld’s voice treads a fine line between croon and snarl. On stage, though, all Furstenfeld could manage was an inharmonious growl. “Into the Ocean,” normally a groove-filled jam, sounded painful for Furstenfeld and the audience. Luckily, the crowd knew every word. Furstenfeld let the audience sing every chorus for him, a wise move, considering he sounded like a barking bull dog.

Cage the Elephant surprises with stage antics, manic energy

s Cage the Elephant’s lead singer, Matt Shultz, stumbled on stage, he was the sheer definition of sloppy. Throughout his band’s set, Shultz messed up his own words, thrashed his unwashed hair like a sheepdog, and nearly killed himself crowd surfing. Yet there was something incredibly endearing in this Kentucky boy’s messiness. The band’s remaining members, thankfully, were far more coherent than Shultz. They played their parts well, and, as an aside, they all looked to have showered. The band rattled through songs like “Aberdeen” and “In One Ear” like pros. Then Shultz would jump, headfirst, into the writhing audience. As he jumped around the stage, the sweat fell from Shultz in buckets. Based upon sheer manic energy, Shultz gave more to his performance than any other performer at the festival. When Shultz began his band’s biggest hit, “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked,” he was clearly referring to himself. The man was wildly entertaining, and he exhausted himself in the process.

B-

Fanaticism found when Arctic Monkeys hit the stage

hen the Arctic Monkeys, a four-piece outfit from Sheffield, England, walked on stage at Edgefest, the night was still young and the crowd still small. Whatever the audience lacked in size, however, it made up for in fanaticism. “I saw more people here in Arctic Monkey shirts,” festival MC, Josh Venable, later said, “than any other band, hands down.” So when the Arctics broke out their hits, like “Fluorescent Adolescent” and “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor,” the entire crowd began to jump, and the entire crowd knew every word. Playing louder, faster, and stronger than any other band, the group still never missed a beat. Most impressively, drummer Matt Helders managed such an incredible drum fill on “Pritty Visitors” that lead singer/guitarist Alex Turner simply stopped playing, knelt down, and told the crowd to “watch this stuff.” Trust us, Alex, we were watching.

SEAFOOD

ON THE EDGE story by Cole Gerthoffer, staff writer

C+ B Abacus

4511 McKinney Ave

With prices this high, Abacus is for true seafood afishionados only. Get it? Fish? Anybody?

A-

Aw Shucks 3601 Greenville Ave

Oh ho ho. And we thought our jokes were bad. Punny title aside, Aw Shucks ain’t actually that bad.

people named Chicharito and José de Jesús play soccer, né

Tomorrow, Fort Worth Convention Center, 8 p.m. > Rusko In case you are

having trouble forgetting all the stuff on the exams you crammed for, Rusko should help the night after the last final. If someone asks you if

FIFA.COM

Ever since 1990, Edgefest has been DFW’s biggest — if not only — rock festival. Unfortunately, past headliners like Limp Bizkit and Jane’s Addiction have failed to inspire. This year’s roster, however, was surprisingly stellar. Here are some of the best (and worst) acts at Edgefest 22.

>Brazil vs. Mexico Want to see

Foreign Language exam Saturday? Go see Avicii tomorrow night at the Fort Worth Convention Center. It promises to bring you to different levels of raging.

^ Hulk. Who knew he played fútbol?

SOLDOUTFESTIVAL.COM

On the edge

Events we’re looking forward to...

2 2

fútbol, against a guy named Hulk? The correct answer is yes. His name is Hulk. June

3, Cowboys Stadium, 2 p.m.

^Rusko

>Boys of Summer Because

you know any of his songs, no worries, chances are they don’t know any Rusko either—just distract them by mentioning Kate Upton’s “Cat Daddy” rendition. May 23,

Palladium Ballroom, 7:30 p.m.

Cowboys Stadium, 7 p.m. >Summer You did it. You

>Rangers vs. Angels Japanese

sensation Yu Darvish is scheduled to be on the mound for the ‘gers in this matchup with the divisionrival Angels. Turns out Albert Pujols forgot how to play baseball when he received a 240 million dollar contract, so your Rangers should be able to pull out the win for Yu.

Saturday, June 2, Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, 7p.m.

TECH TRENDS

there’s nothing like some good ‘ole Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney to kick the summer off right. "When the Sun Goes Down," you’ll have a great night. June 9,

(almost) made it through 36 weeks of homeworks, quizzes, tests and presentations. The bright side? You get 8 hours of exams to show everyone how much you learned. Starting Saturday. At 8:30 a.m. Put this paper down and keep studying. Not soon enough. — Dylan Clark and Aidan Dewar

Do you spotify?

ITUNES REVOLUTIONIZED MODERN MUSIC BY providing an easy, legal way to obtain music. Spotify, released less then a year ago to the US, aims to be an even simpler way to play music through it’s use of the cloud. Instead of providing music through downloads, Spotify allows users to stream music at a higher bit-rate that iTunes. With Spotify, users can play songs from their hard drive and store a selection of those songs on a server so that they can be accessed wirelessly. Songs can also be stored on a computer or iPhone, allowing one to enjoy their music even without an Internet connection. For the same price of an album on iTunes, a Spotify premium account will allow you access to an endless library of music. It can also merge your library with albums already on your computers. Some albums, depending on the record label, have a week delay on release compared to iTunes. Spotify also offers a Pandora-like feature that allows one to play similar songs and artists. Like iTunes, Spotify has a social component. More advanced than iTunes’s Ping, Spotify allows users to share and collaborate on playlists on Facebook and view each others listening history. Spotify shows that it is more than just an outlet for music, offering downloadable apps from music websites and record labels. Apps such as Pitchfork (Check style) allow the user to see highlighted albums and tracks along with in-depth reviews. Songkick Concerts (Check style) also offers a calendar of concerts from artists in one’s library. In terms of app offerings from record labels, Def Jam (Check style), has released one that allows users to subscribe to playlists that each focus on a particular musical era. The issue of not having enough storage on iPhones and computers for music is solved thanks to the cloud-based music. Spotify is a clear and Spotify shows that it is simple choice above iTunes as more than just an outlet it is vastly cheaper and does for music, offering not require local storage of downloadable apps from music, while also offering free music websites and and creative apps. record labels. — Andrew Goodman

A-

Fish City Grill 10720 Preston Road

Preston-Royal’s own, the joint has the grub and the location for a perfect after-school fish run.

Joe’s Crab Shack

2001 North Lamar Street

We know it’s alluring. The place may be dripping with elegance, but take it from us, do not eat at Joe’s.

S T O R Y

C O N T I N U E D

F R O M

P A G E

O N E

up & coming

C O V E R

RELIGIOUS RAP The first of many major changes in chapel this year, juniors Kendrick Spraglin and Jevon Oliver, sophomore Nabeel Muscatwalla, and freshman Justin Jones perform their religious rap May 9 (left). On the right, Dangelo preaches and gestures from his patented position on the broadstep.

up&coming

New hymnals and verger tradition begun

New chaplain Dangelo revolutionizing school’s chapel experience

big plans

“

I’M STILL KIND OF FAILING TO FIGURE OUT HOW ALL THE SCHEDULING AND PERIODS WORK. THERE ARE NO BELLS, AND I COULD USE SOME BELLS. PLEASE! — Rev. Michael Dangelo

guest lectures for freshman history classes and continued to give charming sermons, all without evident difficulty. “I think the transition has been fabulous,” former interim chaplain Scott Gonzalez said. “The first year of coming to St. Mark’s is like jumping into a jet fighter. You start your engines and pretty soon you’re at 35,000 feet pretty quickly. He has been thrown right into the fire and has done really well.” But Dangelo’s fledgling tenure has not been free from difficulties. Coming from an early career in parish ministry, this new job is his first at a school. “Parish life really revolved around Sun-

“I think it’s important to have religious diversity because the world we are going out to after St. Mark’s is incredible diverse,” Hillier said. “But I think the school should strive to be ‘inter-faith,’ and not ‘non-denominational.’ It’s a fine line, but inter-faith means that the school would support all religions and beliefs that the students have or want to know more about, opposed to non-denominational, which suggest that school avoids religion because the controversy it can cause.” Dangelo hopes his augmented committee will give him the strength he needs to alter much of what occurs in chapel. From a new hymnal to diversified musical selections (yes, including rap) to an increased amount of student participation, he has numerous changes in mind. “I would also love that people would use the chapel as a place for solitude and rest during their down time,” Dangelo added. “I want it to be a place visited at other times than the school conscripted time once or twice a week. I want people to use that space as a time for prayer, a time for Sabbath and a time for reflection.” While most students hope to see these great changes in the future, some may be skeptical about the probability of them. Over the past decade or so, the school has had a repeated problem of chaplain retention, with many lasting fewer than five years of tenure. “I don’t think it’s just St. Mark’s that has had this problem,” Headmaster Arnie Holtberg said. “What I understand is that turnover in chaplaincy is pretty common, but I haven’t identified any reasons why.” Gonzalez attributes the turnover to the small sample size that is available of chaplains interested in the very specific calling of school ministry. “When someone serves in that post, it’s not like they’re a teacher or administrator,” Gonzalez said. “They have to be a colleague, they have to be a professional educator, and they also have to be a priest. Part of his duties require that he still counsel people, that he still work with people who are having difficulties. The priestly part of his calling and duties are very essential as well.” angelo, however, hopes to buck the trend, citing a strong will to become a pillar of the St. Mark’s community. “I hope to stay for the long run,” Dangelo said. “You never can predict the future, but I hope to. It’s been two months, and I feel like it’s been an extended honeymoon. I really get up looking forward to coming in, and the days are over before they even start. But again, I’m not going to predict the future. I’m not going to come out and say that I’ll be here ‘till I retire. The crazy thing about being a priest is this notion of ‘call.’ If God wants me to go somewhere else I may have to.” Overall, Dangelo has loved his stay here thus far. He appreciates the past, enjoys his present and looks forward to the future. Ultimately, he wants to continue preaching in the way that the student body fell in love with, offering relief while proposing challenges. “You guys are a tough congregation in a good way,” Dangelo said. “You make it fun. The old adage for preaching is that preaching is comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable, so if I can do that from time to time, I’ll be doing my job.”

HEN CHAPLAIN Rev. Michael

Dangelo found a copy of the worship book with scribbles on the cover, he knew it was time to make a change. This fall, he will make several reforms to the chapel program, including the creation of a new worship book and the start of a new verger tradition. For over 20 years, English instructor Dr. Henry Ploegstra served as the verger at Evensong. The verger carries a staff, leads the procession into the chapel during services and precedes the religious participants. “Being a part of Evensong is something that I will significantly miss,” Ploegstra said. “In 28 years, I’ve missed only one.” When Ploegstra retires, junior Cameron Hillier will take the position, and begin the new tradition. From now on, a senior on the Chapel Committee will serve as verger for one year, then pass the staff to a rising senior. “I’m really honored to be named verger,” Hillier said. “Having this new tradition of student vergers is a great way to continue student involvement and honor Dr. P’s service, dedication and love of the school.” angelo supports the new tradition, which includes students in the chapel program. “How do we make this about the boys?” Dangelo said. “How do we make this about leadership? How do we make this about their spirituality? How do we get them involved?” Another change is putting together a new worship book. According to Dangelo, the goal is to “make this less of a chapel book and more of a personal book for prayer.” Next year, the committee will collect hymns and prayers from various religions, which will be tested during next year’s chapel services. The new book will include a diverse collection of prayers and hymns. Dangelo wants Marksmen to see the new worship book and say, “I’m taking this on Pecos. Because when I’m out in the wilderness with some alone time, there’s some great stuff I want to be considering.” “Instead of this,” Dangelo said, holding up his copy of the current book with scribbles on the blue cover. “I keep this one nearby. I could get ticked off at this,” Dangelo said, looking at the scribbled words. “But this is just symptomatic of the challenges that lie ahead for making sure that the chapel program is a vibrant, growing part of the character formation that you guys have going on.”

TORN UP The worship books have been in use for years, and subject to abuse. Dangelo hopes to compile new songs for the new books.

May 17, 2012

Dangelo has turned heads in his first few chapel services with his interesting sermons and some other changes including • Bringing in new hymnals to replace the decades-old ones currently in use • Establishing new verger program, with a student holding this prestigious position in select ceremonies. • Entertaining the congregation with new types of music, such as the rap group which performed May 9.

day morning,” Dangelo said. “Four a.m. was not uncommon for when I would get into my office and get ready for the day. Here of course, I’m here all day and it’s more scheduled. I’m still kind of failing to figure out how all the scheduling and periods work. There are no bells, and I could use some bells. Please!” dditionally, his smooth liturgy is not as effortless as it seems, despite an adolescence shaped by theatre participation and church pageants. Dangelo has studied the art of oration for many years and has even developed a formulaic approach to sermon writing. “I developed a formulaic technique for myself where all my sermons are sort of three parts,” Dangelo said. “I tell a story, to get everyone engaged and then give what I call the ‘nugget,’ which makes the point. Then I go back to the text and show where the nugget comes from in the text. Third, I apply it to life.” But where does he find the countless stories with which he preaches? “Every story from your life potentially has ‘preachability’ through either your own failure or foibles or your successes,” Dangelo said. “Not that it becomes an egotistical exercise of self-aggrandizement, but it can be inspiring if you’re willing to think of your life as something that God is investing with possibility. You have to have that presupposition that your life matters.” Since his first day on the job, Dangelo’s primary mission has been to promote the religious diversity of the school through chapel and to give time to different faiths to represent themselves in the services. “My job is not to proselytize,” Dangelo said. “We have this great diversity at this school full of different religious traditions all within this Christian chapel with Christian stain glass windows and a cross at the back o the altar. So, how do we bring together these Christian presuppositions that I hold very dear with this great diversity around the issues of faith? If that chapel could be a space where you guys could take to one another about issues of faith from your own experience and your own stories, I think that would be cool.” But Dangelo stresses that his job is to regulate a diverse chapel for the nonsectarian, not promote Christianity over other faiths. “This is not a parish,” Dangelo reiterated. “It’s a time set aside by the school to reflect. It’s not a time for proselytization. Yes, the Christian job is to share our love and our faith of Jesus Christ. In this context, the specific notion of hospitality of loving your neighbor who has a completely different faith is what applies. We’re not here to beat each other over the head with our doctrinal faiths. We need to create a space where we can share why those are integral to who we are as people. It allows for me to love someone as a neighbor.” Dangelo hopes to achieve these goals through his efforts with the Chapel Committee. In the short time since his arrival, the Chapel Committee has been fruitful and multiplied, integrating both horizontally and vertically with not only more representatives of the Christian faith but also Jews, Hindus and Muslims. Junior Cameron Hillier, who will be the student leader of the committee next year, appreciates the diversity of the committee.

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It was from this spot, right among the audience, that he first sowed the seeds of engagement that would continue to grow week after week, the appeal that finally drove Pigott to act on a long time curiosity and become and active member of the Chapel Committee. “It was his personality that got me involved in chapel planning committee,” Pigott said. “I had though about joining the committee last year, I never made the commitment. Papa D was really welcoming and inviting, so I figured I’d give it a shot. I’m glad I gathered the courage to join.” Pigott has noticed an obvious increase in enthusiasm about the weekly services. “The reaction to Father Dangelo has been overwhelmingly positive,” Pigott said. “It used to be that when chapel rolled around everyone would groan about going and zone out during the speech, but now people are more engaged. Papa D’s anecdotes are relatable and interesting, and he delivers his message well. I keep hearing positive remarks about Father Dangelo, and I’m sure they’ll continue.” It was just the beginning of a school-wide renewal of interest in chapel that has resulted in a larger, diversified Chapel Committee, greater variety of music within services and a highly engaged congregation. Dangelo’s inexplicably smooth integration into the school’s lifestyle has been admirable to say the least. Jumping into the busiest time of the year without a misstep, he has been to numerous athletic events, offered

by VISHAL GOKANI deputy editorial director

remarker | MAY 17, 2012

sports

Laura Day | 18

lacrosse | 17

SPC wrap up | 19

Ben Grisz ‘08 | 20

Miraculous memories

With next fall marking the 60th anniversary of SPC, we look back at a few of our greatest moments in conference history.

MOMENTS OF GLORY Otis Jennings ‘90 (above) blocks a final shot from St. Stephen’s to clinch a SPC semifinal victory. In 2009, after winning the final game of his career and an SPC baseball title, Tom Adams (top right) is swarmed by fans. Fighting off powerhouse Kinkaid, the ‘82 Lions’ football team (right) celebrates its undefeated sesason.

Walk-off Farewell

is 45-year coaching career was coming to an end, and Tom Adams’s final game was slipping away. May 2009. The SPC baseball tournament was being held on campus. Adams’s young squad was in the championship, down 9-3 with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning to ESD. The stands were packed. “The crowd was enormous,” Adams said. “All the way down the right field line. All the way down the left field line. In the dugouts. In the stands. It was an unbelievable atmosphere.” Despite the deficit, Adams’s players had an advantage: they had been there before. Just one day prior, they trailed 8-4 in the sixth inning to Episcopal High School, rallying to win in extra innings. Now, they had to do it again. Kirk Hayes ’09 wasn’t going out this way. With two outs, he crushed the ball for a grand slam. 9-7. The crowd went wild. Tanner Montgomery ’11 singled to lead off the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, Alex Brown ’09 walked. Then Hayes did it again, singling up the middle and driving in Montgomery to tie the game at 9-9, sending the crowd into a frenzy. The championship was now just one hit away as Andrew Ngo ’10 walked up to the plate. “I felt like all the momentum was with us at that point,” Adams said. “I didn’t know it would come

then, but I had a good feeling we were going to win the game.” Once again, he was right. Ngo smacked the ball into the outfield, and as the fans erupted, Brown crossed home to give the Lions a 10-9 walk-off SPC victory, cementing the game as one of the most legendary victories ever to end Adams’s legendary career. “It was a day that I think about almost every day of my life,” Adams said. “It couldn’t have been a greater ending. To tell you the truth, I really think it was destiny.”

SPC-Saving Swat

wenty years earlier, Adams was in another bleak SPC situation. In the basketball quarterfinal, his Lions trailed Kinkaid by 11 points in the fourth quarter. Once again, his players rose to the occasion. Leete Jackson ’90 hit five three-pointers, pushing the Lions to victory. The team got no time to celebrate, however, as they faced the formidable squad from St. Stephen’s just a few hours later. The semifinal was incredibly tight. The Lions had played well, but a stellar point guard and a sixfoot-seven-inch big man put St. Stephen’s up 72-71, 30 seconds to go. The Lions inbounded to Marwin “Moopy” Brown ’90, who was immediately smothered by the defense’s press. But instead of passing out of the trap, he broke it himself. “He just kept dribbling,” Adams said. “He wove all the way around the court through all five of the defenders. Somehow, 17 seconds later,

he ended up with a layup. He was the only one to touch the ball.” Adams quickly called timeout, telling his team that the guard from St. Stephen’s would come off of a screen from the big man and to switch all screens. “Now they have the ball with 12 seconds to go,” Adams said. “I remember just before we went back on the court, I was staring at the floor. My assistant asks, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘I’m praying.’” St. Stephen’s inbounded to their star guard, and their big man set the screen. Remembering Adams’s advice, Otis Jennings ’90 read this perfectly, switching off the big man, throwing himself toward the shooter and swatting the shot to midcourt, sealing the Lions’ victory and SPC championship the following day. “That was probably my single greatest day with St. Mark’s basketball,” Adams said. “But coaching games like that is not good for the heart or the stomach. That’s why I finally retired from basketball. My stomach couldn’t take it anymore.”

Last-Minute Launch

or the SPC football title in fall 1982, only one game all season mattered. Under head coach Sherman Zimmerman, the Lions were tearing through SPC competition. Even after their star quarterback, Clark Hunt ’83, got injured and was replaced by Johnny Robertson ’85, no opponent could touch the Lions. At the time, there was no

championship game for football— the team with the best record was named conference champion. Late in the season, the undefeated Lions headed to Houston to face Kinkaid, the other SPC powerhouse, for the game to determine the conference champion. As the Lions’ offense struggled, Kinkaid took a quick 7-0 lead. “They were an enormous team, and our defense couldn’t hold them off,” defensive back Robby Robinson ’84 said. “After they went up early, we knew we had to step it up.” The defense elevated its play, stifling the Kinkaid offense. However, Robertson just couldn’t find the endzone. Finally, with two minutes left in the fourth quarter, he threw a 17yard touchdown to Ed Anderson ’84. The players went crazy. Now, coach Zimmerman had an enormous question to answer. Play it safe and kick the extra point or go for the win and risk the perfect season? The team watched in painful suspense as Robertson lined up for the two-point conversion. As the stadium held its breath, the quarterback dropped back and threw up the ball to Robert Alpert ’83, who secured the catch. This time, it wasn’t just the players who went wild.

MIRACULOUS MEMORIES story by Charlie Golden, sports editor | photos courtesy development office

in the box score

Pull-ups done by junior Cameron Mendoza while testing out of P.E.

Goals scored by senior Will Perkins in lacrosse’s quarterfinal victory over Austin Westlake

Emmanuel Acho drafted to NFL

Varsity crew takes second place at state

Emmanuel Acho ’08 was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the NFL draft April 28. Acho joins his brother, Sam Acho ’07, who plays for the Cardinals. Emmanuel is a 6-foot-1-inch, 238-pound inside linebacker who earned All-Big 12 honors as a senior after he lead Texas with 131 total tackles, 19 of which were for a loss. The Browns finished 4-12 and had the 30th ranked rush defense in the NFL, giving up an average of 147 yards per game. The Browns look to Acho to help decrease that number in the upcoming season.

The varsity crew team, coached by Will Forteith ‘96, placed second at state April 28 at Lady Bird Lake in Austin. The IV boat lost only to Dallas Rowing club, beating ESD to the finish line by 0.3 seconds. “We went in there with nothing to lose–everything to gain,” junior Harrison Quarls said. “We came out pretty well as a team and we are proud of what we’ve done.” Forteith is proud of his team for their dedication and attention to detail in matchups where they were the smaller team. “We were a predominantly lightweight crew this year,” Forteith said. “we had to rely on technique and tenacity.” The 1V boat consisted of Harrison Quarrels, Adam Rawot, Pramukh Atluri and Gio Lincoln.

“Our assistant coach, Malcolm Walker, played center in the NFL and could hardly move around anymore,” Robinson said, “but when we made that two point conversion, he was jumping around like a cheerleader. I couldn’t believe it.” On their final push, Kinkaid was at midfield with time for one more play. Their star quarterback found space down the sideline with a clear path to the end zone. He approacehd the endzone, dangerously close to ruining the Lions’ season when Anderson, the same player who caught the tying touchdown, decked him at the five, forced a fumble and sealed the win. The team dominated all remaining competition and became SPC champions, claiming the coveted status of an undefeated team. “St. Mark’s has been playing football for 60 years,” Robinson said. “So to be one of the few teams ever to go undefeated, especially that way, it was really special to all of us.”

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I WAS STARING AT THE FLOOR. MY ASSISTANT ASKS, ‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING?’ I SAID, ‘I’M PRAYING.’ — Tom Adams

.434

Regular season batting average for junior Sam Cassell

SMLAX AT STATE Led by five seniors including Nick Mahowald (right), Coach Hayward Lee’s varsity lacrosse team took second in state May 6. The Lions fell to Highland Park 5-4 in the championship after beating Houston Christian High School in the semifinal.

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One point away

Lions’ lacrosse had a strong regular season with only one loss to Jesuit, and they came within one goal of winning the state final.

PLAYING BODY During the state championship game May 6 in Georgetown, junior midfielder Danny Koudelka shoves a Highland Park Scot while junior defenseman Bear Goldstein gets ready to snag a ground ball. Koudelka scored one goal for the Lions later in the game.

prevent them from accomplishing what they wanted to accomplish.” The Lions had only one loss in the regular season against Jesuit, which was the number one ranked team in Texas at the time, and one loss in the state finals. The team was missing several key players during the state tournament including sophomores Chris Marlow, Tommy Addy and James Diamond, juniors Chris

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OUR PLAYERS BECAME USED TO ADVERSTY, TO HURDLES, TO IMPEDIMENTS, TO CHALLENGES, AND THEY FOUND ARESOLVE IN THEM.

— Coach Hayward Lee

Roach and Tommy Addy, and senior Griffin Cassagne. “The success that we had this year is a direct reflection of players stepping up and responding to the challenge and absorbing the contributions of players that were unable to make those contributions,” Lee said. “Someone always stepped up. The slack was picked up. Nobody whi;ned or cried or mad excuses. I started calling our kids the can-do kids. They would not accept any excuse. They wouldn’t give one. They wouldn’t think about one.” Having players out only spurred the remaining Lions to step up their games. “Our lacks of players made the contributors play harder and demanded that some other players step up and contribute,” junior defenseman Bear Goldstein said. Many of those contributors

were seniors who will be leaving responsibility in the hands of next year’s experienced players. Despite the loss, Goldstein is confident the Lions will be greeted with another great season. “It’s hard to tell how we will be next year,” Goldstein said. “We lost a great Senior Class with a lot of talent, but I’m looking forward to how we will develop as a new team this summer. I’m already looking forward to winning a championship next season.” Lee responded similarly regarding the loss of strong senior players. “Those guys contributed a lot to our team,” Lee said. “We had our final team meeting on [May 7], and when those guys walked out of the room, a lot of productivity walked out of the room. Our other players will have to pick up the slack, the productiv-

ity, the contributions that walked out of the door, but I know we can do that.” The Lions, having proven that they can play through adversity this season, will still be a force next year. “Let’s put it this way, I wouldn’t count us out,” Lee said. “I think people that overlook us next year might be surprised.”

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own 2-5. The scoreboard offers a challenge that will have to be taken care of in the fourth quarter. The last quarter in the state championship game against Highland Park. A place the team’s veterans have seen before. After breaking from the huddle, head coach Hayward Lee’s message was still in their heads. “Loosen up.” Shot after shot was taken on the Highland Park’s goalie. 3-5. 4-5. In that last quarter, the Lions took 16, but they fell one goal short of tying the game. “They wanted it so bad, I think we got away from many of the things we’ve done all year,” Lee said. “We talk a lot about not being afraid to fail, but I think there was a nervousness born out of such a strong desire to finally take that trophy home.” The games prior to the championship were a different story. Despite being faced with tough matchups and being plagued by numerous injuries, the Lions overcame some tough competition with an 11-7 win over Episcopal High School in the first round, a 10-8 win over Austin Westlake in the quarters, and a 10-3 victory against Houston Christian in one of the team’s best performances all season. The team has gotten used to playing against tough competition. “Our players became accustomed to adversity, to roadblocks, to hurdles, to impediments, to challenges, and they found a resolve in them,” Lee said. “I’ll use the word resolve, a toughness, a self-belief. They found a resolve in them to not let the obstacles

the state tournament • First round: W, 11-7 against EHS • Quarterfinals: W, 10- 8 against Austin Westlake • Semifinals: W, 10-3 against Houston Christian • Finals: L, 4-5 against Highland Park

On their way

May 17, 2012

The young water polo team has continued its dominance, placing top three in the state tournament for the fourth consecutive year.

by SAM KHOSHBIN sports editor THE LIONS’ WATER POLO TEAM PLACED third in the state tournament May 5. The team started off the tournament with a 10-5 victory against the defending state champions, Tomball High School. This momentum continued to the next game where the Lions beat the 2010 state champs, Baytown Sterling High School, 12-1. The Lions lost to the only team who beat them at home earlier that season, Strake Jesuit, 8-11 in the semifinals. But with a roster of three freshmen, fives sophomores, four juniors and only two seniors, head coach Mihai Oprea is proud of the young teams ability. “They were bigger more experienced guys, that’s why playing them was an open game all the way until the end,” Oprea said. “Up until the last two and a half minutes of the game it could have been anyone’s game. But what we did against a team of seniors is a huge accomplishment.” Not only were the Lions young, but they were playing against a team with six seniors and a junior in its starting lineup, providing a difficult challenge. Despite this age difference, the semifinal game went down to the wire. “They were ready for it,” Oprea said. “They played extremely well but it’s a game, and things happen. And when it is so close, little things will make the difference. Some little things we didn’t control as we should have, but most little things happened because of influential refereeing.” Sophomore goalie Bradley Mankoff believes that Oprea’s coaching has given the Lions what it takes to compete with a team with bigger and more experienced players. “Coach Oprea, having played professionally in Romania and having grown up playing water

PHOTO COURTESY WINGATE SUNG

ONE POINT AWAY story by Sam Khoshbin, sports editor | photo courtesy Robert Goldstein

LEGGING UP In the third-place game, junior Warren Smith unloads on a shot. Smith had over 10 goals in the state tournament, including two in the semifinal loss to Strake Jesuit.

polo and playing water polo his whole life, has a knowledge and understanding of the game that far surpasses any other person in the state of Texas,” Mankoff said. “So him not only teaching us about water polo but also teaching us about the principle of discipline, determination and a will to win can outlast most tangible things like size and strength.” Even though being young means the team may not have lots of experience, it also means that many of the same core players will come back next year. Oprea is confident this will give Lions the edge. “It’s always tough to lose good players that have been in the program so long, but if you look at what’s coming from the younger group, it will be a better team next year,” Oprea said. “All these guys who are already so good are going to be a lot stronger, bigger, smarter and more experienced next year. So we will only be better.”

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C O L L E G I A T E

B A S K E T B A L L

The captain of both Lamar High School’s and Regis College’s basketball teams, Community Service Director Laura Day has fond memories of the sport she loves

She got game

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egis College women’s basketball coach Linda Raunig walked through the double doors to the gymnasium. She dragged two trash cans, which she positioned on opposite sides of the court. The girls knew what to do. They remembered the loss they suffered the night before. They knew what that meant. They lined up along the baseline, heard the whistle and took off sprinting to the opposite baseline and back. Another whistle and they did it again. Several girls made stops at the trash cans to vomit before lining up again. This is what it took for Community Service Director Laura Day’s basketball team to achieve its three NCAA tournament appearances in four years. “Our coach was tough and as captain, I had to deal with her,” Day said. “She had no patience for losing, but in a lot of ways, I think that’s what drove us to play our hearts out night after night.” As early as eighth grade,

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I SET AN EXAMPLE FOR EVERYONE ELSE ON AND OFF THE COURT. I MADE SURE THAT EVERYONE ELSE WAS STAYING IN LINE

May 17, 2012

— Director of Community Service Laura Day

Day began playing basketball at a high level. Though she was a member of her school’s soccer team as well, she loved basketball more. In high school, she played starting shooting guard, putting up 40 points a night on occasion. She was also chosen to play on Texas’s girls all-star team her junior and senior years of high school. “I’d always loved the sport,” Day said. “It’s fast-paced and I was good at it from the start.” After high school, Day received offers to play for several strong collegiate basketball teams across the nation. But she quickly decided on Regis College and committed. “It was much easier to just commit myself and get that over with than wavering and trying to make the most educated decision,” Day said. “I had a good feeling about Regis and the team was pretty good.” Her freshman year at Regis, Day spent time on the bench, splitting playing time with the senior starting point guard. In college, she began crafting her pass-first point guard style, playing to her strengths more than she had before. “I had excellent court vision and had a particularly keen knowledge of the game,” Day said. “So whereas in high school I was just the primary scorer on our team, I took on a role that suited me more in college.” As she took on a major role

SHE GOT GAME story by Rachit Mohan, special projects director | photos courtesy Laura Day

Vista Ridge High School coach Justin Turner to replace Ortega, lead varsity wrestling by ALAN ROSENTHAL staff writer THIS FALL, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 30 years, Rick Ortega will not be at the helm of the wrestling team. He will not lead his team in practice. He will not be watching his wrestlers from the edge of the mat. After Ortega announced he would be stepping down from his position as the head coach of the wrestling program, Director of Faculty Recruiting Byron Lawson and Athletic Director Mark Sullivan began to look for Ortega’s replacement this past winter. In late April, Vista Ridge High School Head Wrestling Coach Justin Turner was an-

on the team her sophomore year of college, Day began having to balance her schoolwork, athletic workouts and practices. “My typical day started with a couple hours of lifting in the morning, then classes, then team practice in the afternoon and keeping up with work in the evenings,” she said. “I didn’t have much free time, but I didn’t usually mind that much.” inally, her senior year, Day was named captain of her team, leading them to another NCAA tournament appearance. As captain, Day’s job was even harder. She couldn’t just be a player—she had to be a leader. “It wasn’t just my job to go out there every day and work on myself,” she said. “I had to set an example for everyone else on BALLIN’ OUT OF CONTROL Eyes focused on gaining possession, Director and off the court, I had to work of Community Service Laura Day scrambles to gain control of the ball during a with the coach on a regular basis game while playing at Lamar High School. and I had to make sure everyone sort of burned out,” Day said. Though Day doesn’t play else was staying in line.” “Also, I found a new passion in basketball anymore, the values Day didn’t always get along community service and I wanted and hard work that she learned with her coach and fellow play- to explore that.” are still applicable in her everyers, but she cherishes the bond Although she moved on, day life. she built with her teammates passing on a full-time basketball “I think everyone should and coach. career, Day continued playing find something that they love the “It was sort of like the on competitive adult teams and way I loved basketball,” she said. military,” she said. “After going leagues after college. “And it hasn’t all gone to waste. through all that, you can’t undo Only after moving to Dallas At an all-guys school, it doesn’t it.” did she finally stop playing bas- hurt to be able to drain a three After college, however, Day ketball. from the corner on a consistent was faced with a choice. She was “It reached the point where basis.” good enough to possibly pursue those young 20-year-olds right a professional career in Europe, out of college could outplay me Laura Day but instead, she chose to move and my body started fighting Director of Community on, pursuing service as a career. against me as much as the other Service “By the end of it all, I was team,” she said.

FILLING BIG SHOES Turner must step into Ortega’s place, assuming a big role as early as next season, with the team looking to defend its title for the 36th time at the SPC championships.

nounced as Ortega’s successor. “St. Marks has a fantastic tradition in wrestling, and it looked like a remarkable opportunity for myself and my family to become a part of the tradition,” the 12-year wrestling coach and former Oklahoma State Cowboy wrestler said. “We’re excited to be a part of it.” Turner knows about the prestige and relevance of Lions wrestling, and he understands that a lot of the program’s success is thanks to Ortega, who was recognized by the National Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame for “Lifetime Service to Wrestling.” “I think Coach Ortega is one of the most respected wrestling coaches in the state,” Turner said. “For 30 years, he’s done a fantastic job there. He’s the reason St. Mark’s wrestling has been relevant for so long.” Even with 36 SPC Championships and 17 State Championships, Turner looks to improve and move the program forward. “I think all coaches aspire to improve the situation they’re in. I’m certainly no different than that,” Turner said. “If I didn’t believe I could contribute in some way, I don’t think I would be a coach that would deserve to be at St. Mark’s.”

W R A P

U P

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S P C

Falling short

While track shines, other squads look forward to next year TRACK Running away with 9th straight

GOLF 2011 title followed by 7th place

n 2003, the track team placed first at the spring SPC championship—beginning what would become an eight year championship run, the longest run in track SPC history. The team has extended their run to nine straight years, defeating rival Episcopal High School (EHS) by 23 points May 4. Like last year, the track team was not the favorite to win the tournament. Although EHS had the advantage on paper, head track coach John Turek had faith in his boys. “My mantra all season long is that if everybody does what they’re capable of doing, then the results will take care of themselves.” Turek said. “Not everything is going to be perfect, not everything is going to go according to plan. You have to be ready for that just as much as doing everything right.” The team rallied around an experienced core of players that included 12 seniors, six of whom were captains providing strong leadership. In addition to this leadership, the team won important victories, such as the first place finish in the four-by-eight relay. “I think the fact that Will Morris clenched it for us with a great anchor leg and won it for us

in the last 25 meters just rallied the whole team around.” Turek said. “It was awesome. I’ve always professed that we’re not one to celebrate a lot, I don’t believe in that, but that was a cause for celebration.” With nine consecutive wins, track is one year away from a full decade of chamionships. However, Turek does not take any win for granted. “I don’t want people to say ‘yawn yawn, they won another one’,” Turek said. “I think it gets harder every year. I think people need to give those guys a pat on the back.”

ead coach David Baker’s golf team faced several challenges in SPC tournament play at the Woodforest Golf Club in Magnolia, resulting in a seventh place finish. The team entered the SPC tournament as defending champions and established golfers, having finished third in the John Cooper tournament and first in the St. Stephen’s tournament.

BASEBALL Early loss

leaves with 4th place

brings 7th place

we had that wonderful 109-0 season.” Lacey said. Despite only earning fourth place, Lacey was proud of his team for their strong season and getting second seed going into SPC. “I would say the highlight of the year was becoming the number two seed in division one.” Lacey said. “This is the tenth consecutive year in division one, and I think to get to division one and playing as a team was great.”

FINAL PUSH (clockwise from top right) Senior Isaiah Huerta shot a 72 the final day of SPC, but the team finished seventh facing touch competition. Sophomore Ford Robinson looks to make a play for Johnny Hunter’s senior-laden squad. With juniors Hunter Book and Cameron Hillier (pictured) leading the team, Jerry Lacey’s varsity tennis finished fourth in SPC. Helping to lead Turek’s group to its ninth consecutive SPC victory Senior Will Morris placed first in the 800 meter dash.

he Lions baseball team finished SPC play in seventh place after losses to EHS and Austin St. Stephen’s. Head coach Johnny Hunter’s team entered Fort Worth All Saints’ with a 6-1 winning streak, high spirits and enthusiasm. “We were riding high with positive energy and we’d played really, really well up until that point,” Hunter said. “We hung with EHS for the first couple of innings, then the flood gates opened up on us.” Frustrated by the loss to the eventual tournament champs EHS, the Lions fell to St. Stephen’s. Despite the two losses, they bounced back to beat Austin St. Andrew’s in a 3-2 thriller. “The St. Andrew’s game – that was really well-played,” Hunter said. “It was an entire team contribution for us to go out on the season with a win like that. It just made everyone very happy.” The comeback wasn’t quite enough to lengthen tournament life, but it did set the tone for a 2013 season. “I’m excited about our future,” Hunter said. “I think there’s a pretty strong Junior and Sophomore Class.” “Looking forward to next season, I think our guys will get a chance to play some summer baseball and keep our skills honed.”

FALLING SHORT story by Teddy Edwards and Cyrus Ganji, staff writers | photos by Andrew Goodman and courtesy Will Morris and John Cavner

Sam Khoshbin

May 17, 2012

ions’ tennis team earned fourth place in SPC May 4 after two close losses to Kinkaid and St. Johns. “We performed well because we were true to our lineup Thursday.” head coach Jerry Lacey said. “I was pleased with our play, and it came down to the doubles play in the second game.” Strong performances by the single’s lines, Hunter Book, Cameron Hillier and Sam Khoshbin, gave the tennis team a solid foundation, and in addition, captains Noé Hinojosa and Jacob Cavner, provided the team with the experience and leadership needed to succeeded. “I definitely felt my history with tennis gave me the confidence to lead these guys.” Hinojosa said. “I knew that what I was saying was relevant and I knew the best ways to get in their heads and make them push themselves.” In addition to focusing on footwork and other aspects of tennis, Lacey looks to schedule more games in order to better prepare for SPC and counter games next year. “Hopefully, we’ll get some changes in place as far as the regular season matches go before counters.” Lacey said. “I don’t know if it’s possible. Again, dealing with SPC is very frustrating.” Lacey also plans to add Scott Palmer ‘01, who will return to campus in development, as an assistant coach. “Palmer played on the team for four years and although he just missed the championship year in 2002, it was through his leadership that

remarker

TENNIS Young squad

Yet in order to secure success at the SPC championship, the team needed great performances all around. “Everyone had to perform their best, because there’s competition, like from Kinkaid – who was probably the best I’ve seen in my four years on the team,” cocaptain Isaiah Huerta said. “It had to be everyone’s best tournament. It could be the pressure, or the fact that the Woodlands is the hardest course we’ve played, but we didn’t really show up.” Even though Lions’ golf found turbulence, they managed to recover from a day one slack and pick up their game for day two. “The second day, everyone tried to come out strong,” Huerta said. “We bounced back. We beat our first day score by 15 strokes, but we were so far out of anything to make a big move.” Day two didn’t result in SPC triumph, but it did provide team members with a valuable lesson. “We didn’t play the way we needed to,” Huerta said. “But the second day, we just went out there and we played for pride. And I think we did a better job.”

Losing, but with heads held high

I WAS EASILY BEATING MY LINE-THREE OPPOnent in the SPC championships. I was on my way to a 6-0, 6-0 victory that would end up taking just over half an hour. But on the court next to me were my captains, seniors Noé Hinojosa and Jacob Cavner, and they were struggling

with their opponents. They were playing two St. John’s Mavericks who were good. Too good. I looked back across the net at the ungainly senior I was playing. It was 6-0, 3-0 and we had yet to come across a point where the ball travelled over the net more than five times. St. John’s was stacking their lineup. They were counting on their line one winning, and they were also expecting two wins from their double’s teams. The double’s team made up of guys competing at a line where they didn’t belong. It worked. They won 3-2 with a line one singles victory and both double’s victories, placing them in the top three and leaving us in fourth. Are you kidding me? If they made their lineup like they like they were supposed to, we would have won. At first I was angry, but slowly I shifted to

another feeling. I was proud of my team. We couldn’t control how they conducted their tournament play. We could only control how we conducted ourselves, and I don’t regret anything we chose to do that Friday. I took pride in the fact that our team played straight up. My coaches, my captains and all the kids in the line up that day maintained their dignity by playing their respective positions. I’ve occasionally heard coaches say, “Losing is when a team shows their character.” In my head I’d just think, “But losing sucks. Don’t lose.” Now I understand. Someone can see defeat coming and try to avoid it by cheating, by bending the rules or by placing the blame on someone else. It’s that way for not only sports, but also in the academic world. The other way someone can handle defeat once it has happened is by accepting it and learning from it. You can still play fairly facing unfair circumstances. Winning would have been nice, but not if it meant bending the rules. You could argue that a 2012 SPC championship would have lasted forever, but how we lost is what will stick with me. We lost with honor.

sports

BEN GRISZ ‘08 PLAYED BASEBALL FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME UNTIL HE REALIZED HE COULD TAKE HIS PASSION AND TURN IT INTO A THRIVING CAREER

Makin’ it in the big leagues

I N

remarker

e zoned out the crowd. He zoned out the heat. He zoned out the sweat rolling down his face. This was professional baseball. After years of practice, this was it. He twisted his foot into the soft reddish-brown dirt. Set, load, fire. “Strike one.” “It is a huge adrenaline rush the first time playing in front of a large crowd,” said Auburn Doubledays (A) pitcher Ben Grisz ’08. “I couldn’t even tell you exactly how it happened. I remember I pitched one inning and that it went by pretty quickly.”

May 17, 2012

Playing on the SPC champion Lions’ baseball squad in 2007 and on the Duke Blue Devils baseball team throughout college, Grisz is now a pitcher for the Washington Nationals’, single A, minor league affiliate team, the Auburn Doubledays. “I went undrafted last year,” Grisz said. “I learned afterwards that I was expected to go back to school for my senior season. Since I received my degree last spring, I felt there wasn’t much of a reason for me to go back. I contacted scouts to see if there was any interest in signing me. A week after the draft, a scout for the Nationals called and offered me a contract. I

“

WINNING SPC IN 2007 WAS PRETTY MEMORABLE. IT’S STILL THE ONLY DOG PILE I’VE EVER BEEN A PART OF ON THE FIELD. — Ben Grisz ‘08

P R O F E S S I O N A L

B A S E B A L L

PHOTO COURTESY GODUKE.COM

A L U M

made my professional debut for Auburn three nights later.” Grisz has been aiming to get into the major league system for years. He attributes his years in high school to helping him further understand the commitment and sacrifice it would take to reach his ultimate goal. “People grow up hearing about hard work to the point where the phrase doesn’t even register anymore,” Grisz said. “I think a large portion of my development since high school was realizing the amount of time you have to dedicate to the things you care about.” Over the course of his career, Grisz has had some monumental moments. One of his fondest is winning the 2007 baseball SPC championship. “Winning SPC in 2007 was pretty memorable,” Grisz said. “It’s still the only dog pile I’ve ever been a part of on the field. It also meant a lot because we were a very close team. Sharing those kinds of experiences with people you have strong relationships

STEPPING STONES Pitching for the SPC Champion 2008 Baseball squad (left), then going onto play at Duke (top), Ben Grisz ‘08, has now started a career as a pitcher for the Auburn Doubledays, the single A minor league affiliate for the Washington Nationals (above).

with is a pretty rare thing.” Grisz realizes that baseball is no longer just fun and games; it is his life. His passion for the game motivates him to reach the highest level possible. “I’m trying to get to the major leagues any way I can,” Grisz said. “So far, I have been used only as a reliever in the Nationals system, but I would welcome being a starter all the same. I do love the game, but I don’t treat it like a game anymore. I approach it like it’s my job because that is exactly what it is now. That is why I take it so seriously.” Because of his love of the game and his desire to get into the major leagues, Grisz is focusing all his attention on baseball. However, he wants to go back to school at some point and still keep all of his options on the table. “Right now my focus is baseball,” Grisz said. “I wouldn’t be doing this for a career if I didn’t take it seriously. I took a class at SMU last fall while interning with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. I don’t have a clear plan for the future, but I do know I want to go back to school eventually; whether that entails just business school, trying to get a Ph.D., or something else remains to be seen.” Throughout all he has been through as a Doubleday, the most meaningful moment was his mom getting to see him play in his debut. “It was a road game, “Grisz said. “She had to catch a flight the

MAKIN’ IT IN THE BIG LEAGUES story by Umang Shah, staff writer | photos courtesy Ben Grisz ‘08

next morning in another city, so I didn’t even get a chance to talk to her after the game. But I know it meant a lot to her to be able to see. She has done so much for me over the years to help me get into that position, so I think it was fitting that she got to witness it.” Grisz realizes how much effort and hard work it will take to attain his major leagues aspirations. And after all he has been through, he won’t stop until he can get what he has dreamed of all his life: a chance in the Major Leagues. “I think preparation, in terms of baseball, comes from the time you put into it,” Grisz said. “You can’t prepare for a lifestyle change; that is always going to be a process of adaptation. My journey has been fun to this point, and hopefully it has a ways to go.”

The Grisz File As a Lion School years 2004-2008 • Three-year letterwinner • All-conference junior and senior • St. Mark’s Athlete of the Year • Three-time Prep All-American wrestler three times As a Blue Devil School years 2008-2011 • Team-high 25 appearances, all out of the bullpen • Struck out 33 batters in 2010 • Gave up four earned runs in first 20 innings pitched As a DoubleDay Team years 2011-Present • Twenty innings piched • Four saves • 1.35 ERA

CHINESE TUTORING Melissa Horadam, a Washington & Lee University Senior, majoring in Chinese Language and Literature, will teach interested students, 10 years and older (including adults and college students) beginning Chinese, this summer, and will also tutor to enhance skills. Available after June 5. 214-912-4689 email: horadamm13@mail.wlu.edu

remarker | MAY 17, 2012

commentary

The

Editorials

COMMUNICATION TROUBLES A new method is needed

midterm exam

hen summer arrives, classes end, and

THE UPPER SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENT BOARD IS OUTDATED AND CAN BE EASILY SUPPLEMENTED WITH REGULAR EMAILS. THIS WILL STOP FUTURE COMMUNICATION MIX UPS, BECAUSE ALL STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO CHECK THEIR EMAILS DAILY.

nated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in this movement. He spoke about his call to arms and the importance of free speech. Some communication slip-ups are to be expected, and are forgivable. But just a few weeks ago, the Blue and Gold Day sheets were posted without any announcement. Tucked away in the Upper School conference room, the sign-up sheet quietly filled, hanging many students out to dry as they realized they missed their chance to sign up for the games. Soon after the sheets filled up, people were left disappointed because they were not given the opportunity to sign up for the games they originally desired. These situations underscore what we feel is a serious issue in our community: communicating important events to the students. urrently, there are several modes of communication between the administration and the students — Upper School assemblies, class meetings, advisory announcements, bulletin board posts and emails. We feel these mediums could be used more effectively to properly inform Marksmen

about upcoming events, even on last-minute announcements. One change we propose is making the bulletin board a secondary information source. It is ineffective in presenting new information to the students because many boys do not look at the bulletin on a daily basis. There simply is not enough traffic through that hallway to sufficiently advertise upcoming events. Because of this, it should only be used to present supplemental information. Email can also be used much more effectively than it is now. While assembly announcements are effective in making an announcement once a week, emails can get the job done immediately. Although it is true that some students don’t regularly check their emails, many more fail to look at the bulletin. The easiest way to regularly communicate with the students is through email. Email is instantaneous, and every student is required to check their emails on a regular basis. It seems reasonable to us this should be the preferred tool for communication between the administration and student body.

CHANGING ATTITUDE A new spirit in chapel

or some upperclassmen, they’ve been through four chaplains in 12 years. At a school where we are used to 10, 20, 30 and 40 year tenures from faculty members, this trend is startling. As a consequence, we feel during the recent years, a disconcerting portion of the student body began to dread chapel. Few students sang and many slept during chapel. Paradoxically, the role of chapel here in student’s lives shrank. Few chaplains have arrived with as much

force as Rev. Mike Dangelo three months ago. Dangelo has hit the ground running with eloquent, meaningful homilies and revitalized prayers. Under Dangelo’s leadership, we feel the school is headed on a course of spiritual growth instead of deterioration. Spirituality was one of the main pillars of this school when it was founded. Though the school has been secularized, spirituality still has a place as one of the key values of a Marksman. Indeed, Dangelo has returned spirituality to the forefront of education here,

and we thank him for it. For the first time in a while, more students are singing, almost no students are sleeping and more students are talking about the homilies. This sort of behavior is healthy, and we applaud Dangelo for bringing new blood to this seemingly forgotten portion of our education. We ask that he continue delivering messages that are powerful and that apply to students of all creeds, and that he stays with us long enough to see his spiritual counsel be felt here.

heat index

Mid-class forced shaving | Frosted This is a school of manly men. Or, rather, this is a school of pubescent, sweaty, voice-cracking teenagers who are starting to grow scruff around their cheekbones. We still like to think we are manly men cruising around Big D in our SUV’s, staying up way past our bedtime and sweet-talking women as if smooth jazz were rolling off our tongues. The point is we are proud of our scruff. Because now we don’t only act like men, we look like men — sort of. Don’t emasculate us by making us take that walk of shame to the Upper School office and ask for a razor.

Noises Off | Steamy Laughs were big, passions were aflame, and accents were British in the Inception-ed play-within-a-play. Pulling off coordinated stunts and copious clothing, the actors and actresses of the St. Mark’s and Hockaday drama program left audience members fanning themselves like southern belles on a sizzling veranda. If you missed the thrilling three-day run, don’t fret. Ask Taubert Nadalini for a live performance where he plays every character — male and female — and changes his voice as he goes along. He’ll probably say no, but do it anyway.

will take over the campus. While some Marksmen work as camp counselors, many aren’t familiar with the summer programs. Here are six questions to spread awareness about what goes on at 10600 Preston Road during the summer months.

THE QUESTIONS 1. For how long has Director of Summer Camps Stephanie Barta led the program? a) Five years b) 10 years c) 20 years d) 25 years 2. Science instructor John Mead leads which of the following camps? a) DNA b) Nature photography c) Robotics d) CSI 3. Day Campers participate in all of the following activities except: a) Nap time b) Arts and crafts c) Swimming d) Cooking 4. Which of the following is not a camp offered by the school?

a) 12 b) 18 c) 22 d) 26 6. Which of the following topics is not covered in the Karate & Self-Defense Camp? a) Brazilian jiu-jitsu b) wrestling c) the history of martial arts d) sumo wrestling

CORBIN WALP PHOTO

GOOGLE.COM PHOTO

Green paradise at commencement

school’s Summer Camp Program

5. Including Day Camp, how many camps does the program offer?

What’s hot — and what’s not — around 10600 Preston Road

Look, we get it. When the Class of 2012 throws on the white tuxes, the grass needs to look good. For grass to look good, you need to put specialstuff on it. But by the Holy Spoon of St. Maxine, that stuff smells worse than the track team after interval day. Folks, we know it has to be done, but for the sake of all that is holy, please finish as soon as you can.

the well-deserved break, the

a) Karate & Self-Defense b) Allakazzam Magic c) Geology d) Sewing

THE

Commencement Green | Grossly Humid

students head out to enjoy

THE ANSWERS Junior Taubert Nadalini makes some noise

Third trimester junior-ness | Absolute Zero We all heard it was coming. Turns out, it’s not like the Boogieman. We can’t just pretend it doesn’t exist, no matter how far we hide under our assignment sheets. Finals, APs, SATs, ACTs, SAT 2s through 10s — with so many bubbles to fill and so much carpal tunnel to endure, how a worse form of torture exist? Maybe, if we make it through alive, we can rekindle our use of the fabled, mystic practice some call sleep.

1) d 2) b 3) a 4) c 5) c 6) d

hen Arab Spring Youth Movement co-founder Waleed Rashed arrived on campus April 23, almost no students knew he was speaking at a mandatory assembly that afternoon. Midway through that Monday afternoon, students were informed that there was a mandatory assembly after school but not who was speaking in it. Rashed, a man whose movement helped remove former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, was scheduled to speak at the school. That’s a pretty big deal. People walked into Decherd Auditorium that afternoon, many asking the same question: “What’s this assembly about?” Little did they know they were walking into a discussion with a man who was nomi-

Midterm exam compiled by VISHAL GOKANI deputy editorial director

commentary

For Cecilia: A silent farewell Henry Woram

ear Cecilia: Your husband called us this morning and told us you passed away. He cried as he recounted the cause: a blood clot — typically a recoverable ailment. But they simply lost you. It was a fluke. You were 56. You were our housekeeper. You were loving and hard-working, but I know virtually nothing about you. I think of all my memo-

SOMETIMES, IT'S NOT UNTIL WE LOSE SOMEONE DEAR TO US THAT WE REALIZE HOW MUCH THEY GAVE US.

May 17, 2012

remarker

LETTER

THE

ries of you. Just one. I climbed up the stairs and saw you folding my clothes, and we talked. Couldn’t have been more than 30 seconds, and no matter how hard I try I can’t conjure an accurate image of you. Did you have glasses? Did you wear your hair long? Or was it bobbed at the neck? What I do remember is your smile. You had a smile like those thousands of Buddha figurines do. A smile so silent and so warm that it could pacify a pitbull. Months before we met, you prayed for me. Between washing our sheets and mopping our floors you would ask about me. You were there for me dur-

Parent commends Marksmen athletes for sportsmanship, conduct at SPC To the editor: While at Spring SPC, I was struck by the sportsmanship of our St. Mark’s athletes, coaches and parents as compared to that of some schools. Your behavior and integrity both on and off the field far outshined that of our opponents even if they are winning by large margins. No matter the outcome of the game, you represented St Mark’s as a community built on integrity, respect, and acceptance of responsibility. Thank you, Marksmen, for the gentlemanly behavior on the field and the class you show before, during and after your games. Your coaches have taught you that respect for the game includes respect of your opponents and the officials. The St. Mark’s parents held the same standard in the stands. I’m disappointed that not all teams or fans showed you the same consideration. No matter how your season ended or where you placed in the SPC tournament, each Marksman, coach, teacher and parents should be proud to be part of the St. Mark’s community. — Jennifer Cassell

Where all our missing shirts go

in academia or medicine. They are revered as heroes long after their wake by people who never knew them. These epic beacons of genius keep populations inspired and reverent for years to come. Then I think of you. You came from a hard-working, modest immigrant family scratching together a life built on virtue and care. Compared to the great figures of history, you were just a tiny flicker. But sometimes we need those small flames of love more than we need Einsteins and Gandhis. You didn’t cure any diseases or write a revolutionary treatise; but you loved unconditionally, and honestly I think there’s few-

er of you in the world than there are geniuses. You smiled from the backstage of the world with infinite affection, and I’ve learned from you. The world needs more people like you. People who are so brimming with love and life that they empathetically care for people like me. People like me, who, until today, never really understood your love. And I wish I could go back to the days before your flame was snuffed and hug you and tell you how much your love meant to me. I can’t, but writing this at least makes me feel better. Even though you’ll never read this. I love you.

Lessons learned from the little guys

EDITOR

Cartoon | Dylan Kirksey

ing my highs and lows and I never knew. It stuns me; how could you have fostered love and care for me before even seeing my face? Now I realize. It didn’t matter to you who I was — you would care for me like I was a member of your family. Your unflagging, genuine and far-reaching love glowed about you like an aura. And now you’re gone.You’re so far away from me, but I still feel it. I think of all the tragic losses in the world. Lincoln. MLK Jr. Nietzsche. All the geniuses and the great leaders in the world with their mile-long funeral processions. Those who gave their lives for their countries or those who made earth-changing advances

Vishal Gokani

t was time to teach the little guys a thing or two. I strolled up to the podium in Lower School chapel, pretty confident. I’d given speeches and worked as a storyteller, so I wasn’t too nervous as I turned on the clip-on microphone. I jumped right into a story about my first Boy Scout campout years ago, listing some of the campout activities. My favorite was going to the firing range, so I acted like I was shooting a rifle at a target. “Hey,” I said suddenly, “it didn’t fire.” Some of the kids giggled. “Uh, could I get someone to hold this for me?” I asked. “I need to get some more bullets.” A first grader raised his hand. I handed him the ‘gun.’ “Now, this is dangerous,” I told the kid. “Don’t move a muscle.” As I turned, I tapped the microphone, creating a gunshot-like sound. I spun around. “Dude!” I yelled. “You shot a gun in chapel?” The room exploded in laughter, and with every eye on me, I had the audience’s attention. I was at the cen-

ter of the world. But as I finished the story and received an ovation, I saw him. I saw the first grader I had called out. And his face looked red. It bothered me for a week. I kept thinking about the kid I’d humiliated. I couldn’t concentrate. My mind wandered. Suddenly, the I’m-at-the-center-of-the-universe attitude disappeared, and worry took over. Suddenly, it was all about the kid, not about me. inally, during Spanish, I asked Señora if I could find the little guy and apologize. I headed back to the building of low ceilings and tiny chairs to track the kid down. As my class went over the subjunctive, I made my way over to Lower School carpool. I found my first grade teacher, Mrs. Yarbrough, who gave me a huge, welcome-back smile. I told her why I was visiting. “You’re looking for Arthur,” she told me. “He just left.” My face fell. “He’s in my homeroom,” she added. “Usually gets here before eight.”

That’s how I found myself surrounded by first graders the next morning, when I was supposed to be studying for an algebra quiz. We played with Lego battleships, had a game of chess with constantly changing rules, checked out the mealworms. Finally, Arthur showed up. “Hey, buddy,” I said, sitting down next to him. “Listen, man, I’m sorry about calling you out in chapel last week. Seemed like you weren’t too happy about that.” Arthur grinned. “It’s okay,” he said. “I was fine with it.” I stared. I’d spent the last week worrying, and it was all for nothing. But a minute later, as I sprinted to get to class on time, I realized it wasn’t all a waste of time. Arthur had given me a strong sense of community. He’d given me an it’s-all-aboutthe-others attitude, which replaced my I’m-at-the-center-of-the-universe outlook. Next time I walk up to that podium in front of the Lower School, I’ll be ready. It’ll be time for the little guys to teach me a thing or two.

> Northpark Mall, a popular destination for many teenagers,

Talking

including many Marksmen, initiated stringent new rules for mall visitors May 8. The rules include a 6 p.m. curfew for 17 and under, a dress code and a code of conduct. We asked students and teachers: “What do you think of the new rules at Northpark?”

As the year draws to a close, faculty members

On both sides, the real question being asked

struggle to devise methods and examinations to as-

is what purpose do final exams serve and are

sess the full scope of a year’s worth of knowledge in

they a real assessment of what students have

a three-hour period. Meanwhile, students struggle

done over the course of a school year? To get

to efficiently relearn an entire year’s curriculum in a

the answer to this question, we asked two faculty

matter of days.

members their opinions on the issue.

‘

I think it’s a good idea because first of all, nobody wants to see your underwear and second of all, children can get hurt if they’re all by themselves at night. —FIFTH GRADER JOSHUA KANG

‘

I think for a general rule, it’s for safety, so it’s probably good idea. –EIGHTH GRADER WARD RUSHTON

‘

I can see why but it seems sort of extreme to me. I’ve seen people whose pants defy the laws of gravity. —BRACHMAN MASTER TEACHER DR. HENRY PLOEGSTRA

Amy Pool >

‘

I get tired of kids just wandering around, not doing anything, not contributing anything to the mall. —JUNIOR BRENDAN FREEMAN

‘

History instructor

—JUNIOR MILAN SAVANI

When you have a comprehensive exam, like a final exam, one of the things that we are assessing is can you figure out what type of problem it is, not just can you do the problem. And you have that in any test, but to a much less degree when you compartmentalize. So I think that going through the exercise of differentiating between different problems is important. That’s how it works in the real world. In the real world, someone doesn’t hand you an engineering problem and say, “this is a XYZ problem.” You have to figure it out for yourself.

At the same time, a final examination gets rendered redundant to an extent, especially for my AP class, because there’s really no point in asking the students to retake another examination over the same material they were just checked on a week ago.

So what I’ve done in the past is to offer my students the choice of what form of assessment they want whether that is a research paper or a formal exam. Over the last few years, they have chosen the research paper.

The bottom line is that as educators, we have to find ways to make you guys learn to teach yourselves. In college you aren’t going to be spoon-fed the five-pages-a-night readings, you aren’t going to get slapped in study hall or punished for not turning in your homework. So the key will be to find a way to make sure that you’ve learned the material to a good enough degree that you can stand your ground in front of a comprehensive assessment, whatever form that may be.

editor-in-chief managing editor, operations managing editor, content deputy managing editor issues editor editorial director special projects director business manager visuals director head photographer

Daniel Hersh Paul Gudmundsson Will Moor George Law Stephen Rambin Henry Woram Rachit Mohan John Caldwell Andrew Goodman Michael Doorey

news editors Ryan O’Meara Noah Yonack scene editors Dylan Clark Aidan Dewar sports editors Charlie Golden Sam Khoshbin opinions specialist Dylan Kirksey

deputy editorial director Vishal Gokani copy editor Alexander Munoz graphics directors Nic Lazzara Robbey Orth staff artists Zuyva Sevilla Purujit Chaterjee

▶ ‘Great job today guys. Bear, get a haircut.’ — head football coach Bart Epperson to huddled up athletes after spring football practice

▶ ‘You know it’s a vintage smlax shirt when it’s got a period at the end.’ — English instructor Martin Stegemoeller to inquisitive students

▶ ‘Clean this up. By the way, I’m still offended you didn’t ask me to play with you.’ — Victor F. White Master Teacher David Brown to students who were playing paper basketball during class

▶ ‘This one’s about a C-. That one’s an A.’ — Brachman Master Teacher Henry Ploegstra rating the biceps of students

▶ ‘I dont’ know. I stopped counting after 30.’ — math instructor Amy Pool on her age WORD ON THE STREET and AROUND CAMPUS collected by Henry Woram,

editorial director

TALKING HEADS interviews by Rachit Mohan, special projects director; photo illustration by Robbey Orth, graphics director

remarker

Around campus

photographers Halbert Bai, Otto ClarkMartinek, Michael Doorey, Richard Eiseman, Andrew Gatherer, Michael Gilliland, Andrew Graffy, Riley Graham, Justin Harvey, Max Naseck, Jay Park, Harrison Quarls, Charles Thompson, Corbin Walp, Max Wolens

May 17, 2012

As far as weight, I think they’re about right. If they’re worth any less, then they become a moot point, there’s no point in trying if it’s not worth enough, but I also would not want to have a comprehensive exam that was worth 50% of your grade because then a really bad day could make a really big difference.

The problem with any sort of final assessment is that no matter how it’s done, there’s bound to be a clash with all the things going on at this point in the year. Whether that’s AP exams, SPC athletics, other classes’ final assignments. It’s just hard to find the time to assign an essay or something like that.

heard

Final exams may not be necessary as an assessment tool in every class, but I think in math, it assesses something different from what other test and quizzes assess, unless you’re giving comprehensive tests all the time because when you study a particular unit, you know what tools you’re using for that unit. You never have to decide is this a problem where I should be using logs or I should be using trig.

remarker

It’s within their prerogative but a little bit stupid because they’re going to lose a lot of revenue from teenagers.

Bill Marmion >

Math instructor

commentary

Heads

Word on the street

staff writers Aarohan Burma, Tabish Dayani, Ryan Miller, Jacob Chernick, Matthew Conley, Teddy Edwards, Cyrus Ganji, Cole Gerthoffer, Andrew Hatfield, Richard Jiang, Alex Kim, Shourya Kumar, Nabeel Muscatwalla, Jack O’Neill, Vik Pattabi, Ford Robinson, Alan Rosenthal, Umang Shah adviser Ray Westbrook

student newspaper of st. mark’s school of texas • 10600 preston road • dallas, texas 75230 • 214.346.8000• www.smtexas.org/common/publications 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

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FUN DAY TURNS HUNDREDS OF MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOLERS INTO KIDS AGAIN — THANKS TO BOUNCE HOUSES, OBSTACLES COURSE AND, OF COURSE, SNOW CONES

remarker St. Mark’s School of Texas 10600 Preston Road Dallas, Texas 75230

Monotony breaker

n search of some much needed release during the busiest time of the school year,

Upper and Middle School students flocked to Hunt Stadium for the third annual Spring Fun Day. Hundreds of Marksmen ignored the heat and humidity to escape the rigors of

academia for the thoughtless joy of blowup slides. Snow cones in hand, they ran giddily around the inflatable wonderland, challenging each other to just one more man-making obstacle course before their next period class.

5. 3. 1. Wielding two cups of snowcones from Doc’s, junior Alex Tassopoulos shows his excitement. 2. Making his way through the obstacle course, seventh grader Jeremy Kerber attemps to push away spherical obstructions. 3. Pushing through the last steps of an obstacle course, seventh grader Parker Dixon sets his sights on finishing 4. Making sure he does not lose his footing, Crawford McCrary carefully makes his way down a slide. 5. Seventh grader Reid Johannsen absorbs a hit from an obstacle. 6. Threading his body through an opening, seventh grader Case Lowry prepares himself for the exhilaration of a bounce house. 7. Fitting his body through a hole, sixth grader Brooks Glanton finishes an obstacle course.

4. 7.

6. MONOTONY BREAKER story by Dylan Kirksey, opinions specialist | photos by Michael Doorey, head photographer