The ReMarker | April 2021 by St. Mark's School of Texas

Dallas, TX • Volume 67, Number 5 • April 16, 2021 • St. Mark’s School of Texas

The ReMarker

Anti-Asian hate crimes are spiking, more than doubling in the last year. While this issue has seen a major rise

‘Now I feel

unsafe’

in coverage by the media recently, it

isn't new. Asian Americans have faced discrimination for years, and faculty, students and experts have opened up about their own experiences. Some feel it personally. Some don't see it for themselves, but they fear for their friends and family. And some are spending their days and nights doing something about it, figuring out why it's going on — and how to fix it. PAGE 14-15

STORY Jamie Mahowald, Luke Piazza, Robert Pou, Siddhartha Sinha, Sai Thirunagari ARTWORK Morgan Chow

Inside

Talking consent

Katie Koestner speaks on healthy relationships and the school's sexual education program. Page 3

Senior Section

As end-of-year festivities approach, the Class of 2021 reflects on their time here. Special section

Focus

In light of The Capitol insurrection Jan. 6, we explore the different facets of democracy. Inside magazine

Essentials

The ReMarker • April 16, 2021

What's INSIDE

Discoveries A look back at the science of the February snowstorm and why Texas wasn’t ready. 7

Senior Rohan Khatti talks about his cooking hobby and the science of food. 8

Dean Clayman Assistant Head of Middle School

Fellas, I just brewed a cup of coffee without a cup. Don’t do that! Knobel Hunt Senior

I’m sorry to interrupt, but it looks like Charles caught a fish. While online in his SpecOps class

Editorials: Chapel talks should return; senior Skip Day will help class unity. Mahowald: Trials of my Hydroflask. 21

Sports Biden’s decisicion to allow transgender athletes to compete and opinions around campus. 23 Talking to students who have a hobby of collecting sports cards and the market surrounding them. 24 The science behind an Ian Mize shot: torque, speed and more with physics instructor Fletcher Carron. 25

Photostory: History of the Lions athetics uniforms and the changes through time. 26

Baseball, track and field, water polo, tennis, lacrosse, golf and crew launch into their spring seasons. 27

Centerspread The recent uptick in racism against Asian Americans — and why this isn’t new. 14-15 Culture Junior Sam Eluemunoh has his sights on greater heights after the Texas Poetry Out Loud contest. 16

Backpage Showcasing her extensive collection, Middle School math instructor Valerie Davis shares her love for Lego. 28 Senior Section Before jumping into their next four, the Class of 2021 shares memories and stories from their time here. 1-8

Ceramics instructor wins Regina Brown Teacher Award by Jack Davis, Axel Icazbalceta eramics instructor Scott Ziegler was awarded the Regina Brown Teacher Award, an award for eagerness and excitement toward teaching ceramics, by the National Council for Education and the Ceramic Arts (NCECA). NCECA holds an annual conference where artists can both display their art and be judged for prizes. “It’s a conference that travels to different cities each year,” Ziegler said. “In those cities along with the conference, there are a variety of exhibits. Everyone from professional artists to graduate students to college students goes to this K-12 show, and the show is pretty competitive.” This year, two seniors were given the opportunity to put their pieces on display at the March 20 conference. “This year, [seniors] Mustafa [Latif] and Collin [Bajec] were both accepted into the show,” Ziegler said. “[Latif] had two pieces accepted, and [Bajec] had a set of three jars as one piece

accepted.” NCECA chooses a juror every year to award the work of both students and instructors. “There are companies like kiln companies or clay companies or glaze companies that will choose pieces for their awards,” Ziegler said, “and the Regina Brown Teacher Award is through the NCECA, so it was a committee through the NCECA that chose to give me that award for his work.” Ziegler attributes his teacher award to the entire ceramics program, namely his students who also were able to join him in taking home awards for their art submissions. “It’s through [Latif’s] work. It’s through [Bajec’s] work that these guys got these awards,” Ziegler said. “I look at myself as as a guide and mentor to all these students, and I have learned a variety of skills through great teachers that I had and I’m just passing that on to these guys.”

ou didn’t study for that test. The indistinguishable, dry, friendly voice of the legendary Joe Milliet makes my ears perk up as I stroll into chapel during a pre-pandemic world. I knew I hadn’t done well. But I’d gotten my fair share of bad grades in Joe’s algebra II class — he’d never told me this before. Anxiously in my seat, my eyes dart around as Joe hands out the tests. He tosses mine onto my desk. It’s a 45. Like, a 45 out of 100. A clear, definitive failure. I sit in Joe’s office afterwards. He’s disappointed. But he’s not mad. I explain to him that a multitude of track commitments, work from other classes and complacency had earned me this grade. He pulls up my overall score in the class. Let’s talk about my study methods, he says. I have to do well, but I can still get an A, he says. He’s going to call my dad and let him know that this is a setback, but it will all be fine — I’m a strong student, he says. Joe helped me study for my next test. Without failure, he was in his classroom before school every morning to answer any questions I may have. Before the test, he held a study session at 7:15 a.m. I was confident going into the test, knowing I had the support of my teacher, a teacher who, in his free time, spends his hours teaching tools to remember math concepts, the benefits of compound interest and, most importantly, how to shut down a house should it be rented by a mischievous group of St. Mark’s seniors. I got a 97 on that test. Ultimately, I received an A in algebra II. It’s moments like these that make St. Mark’s so special. I’ve seen Ray Westbrook devote countless weekends — Friday nights included — to help finalize a production. I’ve seen Ms. Pool Cristian deliver new Pereira Senior senior shirts to Editor seniors’ houses when they received a size that didn’t fit them. I’ve seen Mr. Northcut drive to landfills for his environmental science classes. Mrs. Schwartz edited my college essays, guided me when I was struggling to write a research paper and gave me her copy of The Fountainhead. Mrs. Marmion has given me better relationship advice than any of my friends have. Dr. Westrate bought me a copy of Hillbilly Elegy. I hope this school continues to foster an environment where teachers are trusted and are allowed the freedom to be themselves. Because that’s where the “St. Mark’s magic” comes from. It doesn’t come from the buildings — it comes from the people. And as long as it has that, St. Mark’s will continue to be the greatest home on earth.

17,729 dollars raised by the Senior Class through the auction March 28-30.

A conversation with two alumni who worked on the hit NBC show This is Us. 12 Culture How have the arts been affected by the advent of the internet, and what does the future hold? 13

Agar.io is such a complex game.

Opinions Editorials: A better approach to gun control; schedule presents new opportunities for faculty. 20

How two debaters met and succeeded in the challenges of online debate. 11

Evan Lai Junior

10600 The English and History Departments’ new courses offered next year. 9

Podcast: In-depth conversations concerning all sorts of topics Focal Point now on Spotify, Apple Music and Soundcloud

Comments overheard around campus.

Buzz: Three of the school’s biggest movie buffs make their predictions of the Oscars’ top awards. 19

Ribman: #savestanfordwrestling. Sinha: Questions for another day. 22

What does it feel like for a teacher to finally come back to school after a semester online? 10

Say what?

How do you put on a play in the middle of a pandemic? The Fine Arts department knows how. 18

COVID-19 update: Opinions from the community on vaccines and the lifted mask mandate. 4-5

Instagram: @remarkernewspaper

Behind the Column Episode 6 airs today:

Balancing religious and academic responsibilities during Ramadan, Islam’s holiest month. 17

Issues How our sex ed program is moving forward and covering more information with Katie Koestner. 3

Marksmen Connect has begun fostering connections between alumni around the world. 6

The St. Mark’s magic: the teachers

Sex ed

Talking consent

Healthy relationship expert Katie Koestner has taught Marksmen consent education for nearly two decades. Recently, she met with the senior class to discuss consent and a myriad of other sexual education issues. The administrators and Koestner now see an opportunity to continue expanding her work to lower grades.

The ReMarker • April 16, 2021

Issues

DUAL PERSPECTIVES Students gain both male and female instructors’ points of view in sexual education classes.

COVID-19

or Marksmen, consent is a part of everyday life. As boys mature and start engaging in romantic relationships, consent education becomes critical. The Path to Manhood statue, located in the heart of campus, embodies the school’s intention: turning boys into good men. After being a victim of date rape in college, healthy relationship expert Katie Koestner has made raising awarerness on consent her mission, working with independent schools across the country. Koestner recenly delivered a talk to the senior class regarding consent and healthy relationships. Katie “I hope very Koestner much to be the Activist arbiter of ongoing, first-person, real, honest and open conversation and clarity,” Koestner said. “This is vital for all high school students, especially for seniors who are getting ready to go to college.” For Koestner, realness is central to these discussions. She encourages students to always act with empathy and respect. “It’s a matter of digging deep,” Koestner said. “Coming to terms with the situation when we are concerned about our own ego and being told no and being able to accept it and recognize it not as a personal attack, but rather where someone else is at the moment.” Headmaster David Dini agrees with Koestner. He places consent education in the context of the school’s focus on health and wellness and character and leadership programs — preparing boys to become good men as they set out into the real world. “Consent strikes at the very core of what we care about and what it means to be a good man,” Dini said. “We all have the expectation that you are going to assume responsibility for the people to your left and right. Consent is without question critically important in that regard. Hopefully no one is making presumptions about the way that someone else might feel. To me, consent and respect are intertwined. Abridging consent with someone is an act that fundamentally dismantles respect.” Dini is grateful for Koestner’s work here and cites her extensive experience as one of the reasons behind her success.

“Katie’s experience is prolific and she has worked with organizations all over the world,” Dini said. “In the nonprofit world, schools and colleges, and in the corporate world as well, Katie increased her impact in terms of providing education and resources to environments like St. Mark’s where we want students to develop an understanding and appreciation for what healthy relationships look like.” Koestner is familiar with the school’s Character and Leadership Education Handbook and sees the importance of how it relates to respect, healthy relationships and other parts of life along the path to manhood. Specifically, she believes that relationships can often test one’s morality. “It’s critical for Marksmen to learn about consent education because the majority of victims are still female,” Koestner said. “But there’s also a lot of women and other-gendered people who will take advantage of boys. Clearly, there are still women whose power and confidence mentally comes from getting a guy to be sexually interested in them. When that female gets turned down by a Marksman but persists and is coercive, how does a Marksman respond? To me, it goes both ways. The preparation is knowing how to handle both situations ethically.” I think the St. Mark’s man should be well-informed as soon as possible about consent and not only know the information needed to be in a healthy relationship, but also to have the personal commitment in his heart to make the world a more respectful place.

Katie Koestner, Activist

Koestner has had conversations with Dini and Upper School Head Colin Igoe with the goal of potentially expanding her work and presentations to other grades. “One of the points that Katie addressed in her discussion with the senior class was the transition to college,” Dini said. “Katie and I have talked a lot about how we can scaffold those conversations into earlier grades so that it is not just a senior year conversation.” Led by Counseling Director Dr. Gabriela Reed, the school’s Middle School sexual education program is also planning on expanding its traditional fifth and sixth grade program into the seventh grade. “Generally, there’s a need for sex

education among humans,” Reed said. “Sex-ed has been at St. Mark’s for a long time, but we are trying to modernize it and bring it up to modern day standards and also include some really important topics that are reported in the news because guys need to know about this stuff. They are going to be hearing about it on TV, and they are going to be reading about it in the newspaper. They need to understand it.” Fifth graders have a comprehensive sexual education class, and they have multiple days covering healthy relationships and giving or receiving proper consent. Reed also covers physical and sexual abuse as well as gender roles and norms. However, because this is an all-boys school, its sex-ed curriculum has adapted to suit its students. “There’s a lot of pros to a having a single-sex sex-ed program, but one of the downsides is our students have a lot less interaction with the other gender,” Reed said. “At Hockaday, for example, there is a comprehensive sexual education program that is different from ours. For one, their program includes self defense. They still talk about consent like we do, but they hit it pretty hard for the safety of the boys and for the safety of the girls.” A distinct aspect of the Middle School program is the integration of male and female instructors. “I think one unique component of our program that differentiates us from other schools is that we have a male and a female instructor in the room at the same time,” Reed said. “We are able to offer students both perspectives about giving consent.” As the mother of twin boys, sexual education has taken on a new meaning for Koestner, and her belief that sexual education should start as early as possible has been reaffirmed. “I was asked to keynote the United States Air Force’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month at the United States Air Force Academy,” Koestner said. “I chose to bring my twin boys who were nine at the time, and they sat in the front row and heard my entire story. They took it all in and they did great. They listened, and it wasn’t a onetime thing, it was an ongoing conversation. As soon as anyone is ready to understand their body and communication, they should be learning about consent.” STORY Shreyan Daulat, Keshav Krishna ARTWORK Morgan Chow

Details about the vaccination process and the mask mandate with opinions from the community. Page 4-5

Networking A brand new way for students and alumni to connect. Page 6

In brief

MCDONALD’S WEEK The weeklong charity drive raised over $14,000 in donations for Austin Street Shelter. Morning events included a ping pong tournament, a rap battle, a relay race and the annual chemistry show. Junior co-chairs Sal Abbasi and Alex Nadalini picked up and delivered over 300 quarter pounders with chips three times a day from Monday to Thursday in addition to serving 150 apple pies on Thursday. All food was courtesy of Preston Oaks McDonald’s owner Roland Parrish. COLLEGE COUNSELING UPDATE The college counseling staff has begun conferences with junior families, which will continue through the culmination of the school year. During these meetings, the staff explores each junior’s college process in detail. The staff is also offering three on-campus standardized testing options here. Seniors will make their deposits for college by May 1, but some colleges have postponed this deadline to May 3 or May 6 because of the pandemic. SERVICE HOUR DEADLINE Fifteen community service hours are now due May 1. As of March 29, more than 70 percent of Upper School students have completed their hour requirements. Hours can be submitted on X2VOL either by signing up for an activity through the “Find Opportunities” panel or by creating a personal project detailing the service you completed. Students should reach out to Community Service director Jorge Correa or assistant director Isabel Cisneros with any questions. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY According to new community service guidelines, Habitat for Humanity will now give four volunteers the ability to participate in each shift for the Habitat for Humanity builds. In addition to increased school community member involvement, Hockaday will also be heavily involved in the Habitat for Humanity build, with eight volunteers attending the events each Saturday. Despite the enforcement of precautionary COVID-19 restrictions, planners for the build will continue for eight weeks.

COVID-19

Keeping it under wraps?

Governor Abbott’s recent decision to end the mask mandate raised some doubt in the minds of the public about the necessity of masks. School nurse Julie Doerge provides her opinion and facts surrounding the importance of masks — plus next year’s plans.

exas Governor Greg Abbott made the controversial decision to lift the statewide mask mandate March 2. Abbott spoke on the matter in an official press release. “With the medical advancements of vaccines and antibody therapeutic drugs, Texas now has the tools to protect Texans from the virus,” Abbott said. “We must now do more to restore livelihoods and normalcy for Texans by opening Texas 100 percent. Make no mistake, COVID-19 has not disappeared, but it is clear from the recoveries, vaccinations, reduced hospitalizations and safe practices that Texans are using that state mandates are no longer needed.” School nurse Julie Doerge strongly opposes the decision, referencing CDC director Rochelle Walensky’s feeling of “impending doom” as infection and hospitalization numbers continue to increase. “Repealing the mask mandate was definitely not a positive step forward,” Doerge said. “There is no reason for us to not continue with our mask mandate. It is the easiest thing we can do for one another.” A particular fear of Doerge’s is the increasing numbers of the UK coronavirus

April 16, 2021

Issues

The ReMarker

variant in Dallas. “Right now in Dallas, we have 19 cases of the V-117 coronavirus variant,” Doerge said. “The only reason we know we have 19 is because they’re able to send two samples a week to the CDC to get sequenced. They’ve devoted billions of dollars to sequencing efforts, but it’s not up and running yet Julie so we don’t actually Doerge know how much is school nurse here in Dallas county.” In terms of school policies for the new year, Doerge sees masks hanging around throughout the entirety of the 2021-2022 school year. “We have anecdotal evidence of people here in Dallas with two vaccines catching COVID because they hadn’t waited the full two weeks,” Doerge said. “Even when we have the vaccine we’re still going to have that mitigation process. Perhaps we’ll be able to implement three feet of social distancing instead of six, but it’s a waiting game.” Doerge says it’s known that vaccines are doing a decent job against the virus as of right now. “They’re good, but not perfect,”

I’m pretty opposed to the decision, personally. I was just looking at an article the other day which said that only 75 percent of people are getting vaccinated in terms of the vaccinations Texas is receiving, which is ridiculous when the number should be upwards of 80 percent at the least. Bars have still been operating at full capacity; restaurants are pretty much in full swing, and I just don’t think it’s smart. I couldn’t give an exact date on when I think it should have been removed, but I think it depends on how fast we roll out these vaccines and how fast people are opening up to actually taking it. I think maybe July would be a better time. Generally, I think at least 75 to 80 percent of people should be vaccinated, if not more. The direct impact of his decision that I’ve seen has been mostly in restaurants. It’s completely jam-packed in restaurants right now, and there’s no social distancing. It’s almost impossible to maintain it if you’re running at full capacity without a mask mandate.

Doerge said. “They’ll definitely help our way forward. For example: maybe for [the class of 2022’s] graduation, the boys won’t have to wear masks if the whole senior class gets vaccinated. That would make for a much better moment of graduation celebration.” A concern raised by the vaccinehesitant is that no current versions of the COVID-19 vaccine are FDA-approved, the general standard for mass-distributed vaccines. “Coronavirus vaccines have received an Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA,” Doerge said. “All that means is that in a quick turnaround, they can give the vaccine under ‘emergency use’. We’re pretty sure it’s going to be walked forward to be FDA approved in the not-verydistant future. It’s just that those things all take time.” Ultimately, Doerge thinks things are moving in the right direction. “Pfizer has just cleared 12- to 15-yearolds for their vaccine, and so they’re now applying for an Emergency Use Authorization,” Doerge said. “If that goes, that means 12- to 18-year-olds would have the ability to be protected. That’s huge.” STORY Austin Williams, Toby Barrett

point

counterpoint Did Governor Abbott make the right choice by removing the mask mandate? Students voice their opinions.

sophomore Aadi Khasgiwala

senior Jacob Bell

Local business policies Despite the governor’s executive order, many local restaurants and businesses still require masks. Here are a few of those companies: - Eataly - Liberty Burger - Walgreens - Fat Straws - AMC Theaters

What is herd immunity? Herd immunity occurs when enough people become immune to a disease to make its spread unlikely. As a result, the entire community is protected, even those who are not themselves immune. Source: Harvard Medical School

Yes

I agree with the repeal of the mask mandate in principle, but I think it was just a bit premature. I think it might have been smart to wait maybe a month or two for vaccinations to increase, but I don’t think it was a terrible idea. May might have been a better month. I’ve seen a generally more relaxed attitude towards the COVID situation since the removal, and while we still wear them in businesses, I wear them much less with friends. I think masks should be worn by those who are at risk, but at a certain point, we need to begin discussing the idea of removing the mask restriction in stores or schools. It ultimately comes down to personal choice — it

government’s position to tell people what to do, and with the vaccine rolling out, businesses can relax their restrictions as well. I think by the fall things will be back to normal. Maybe that’s some bias on to college), but I realistically think we will have less to worry about.

10%

20% 40% 50% Percentage of 16+ population fully vaccinated By the

numbers

percent of high schoolers are already vaccinated

percent of high schoolers plan to get vaccinated in the next six months

percent of high schoolers are opposed to the school mandating a COVID vaccine sample size: 160 students

Daniel Sanchez senior

COVID-19

Moving the needle

As increasing numbers of students get their shots, biology instructor Ryan Brewer clears up common confusions.

s vaccines roll out, a lot of questions have arisen surrounding the science and legitimacy of the COVID-19 immunization process. For one, the three vaccines approved for emergency use by the FDA, created by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna, Inc., were approved for public distribution in a little under a year, as opposed to the usual 10 to 15 years necessitated by other vaccines. Yet the process was not one that began when COVID-19 became increasingly problematic: in fact, scientists had access to decades-old knowledge and research about the other hundreds of viruses in the coronavirus family. So while the vaccine remained a pressing task for the medical community, the road to effective and safe mass immunization had already begun. Even though the vaccines are offered by different companies, they are all created with the intent of a similar function within the

5 steps to getting vaccinated Already-vaccinated senior Daniel Sanchez lists the steps he took to receive his shot.

human body. According to biology instructor Ryan Brewer, both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines build immunity in the body using mRNA. “Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are made using messenger RNA, a bit of genetic code that codes for a spike protein on the SARS-2 virus,” Brewer said. “The proteins activate the immune system, teaching the cells to recognize the spike as foreign and help the body develop antibodies.” Similarly, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine helps the immune system create antibodies, instead carrying DNA as the method for COVID-19 immunization. “The J&J vaccine uses the DNA of an adenovirus, a family of viruses which causes colds, to carry the genetic code to make the SARS-2 spike protein,” Brewer said. “The adenovirus enters cells, and they use that code to make spike proteins. The body can then form the antibodies needed to fight it.” Brewer maintains that, while these

STEP 1

Visit dallascountycovid.org and navigate to the large green box that reads “CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ...”

STEP 3

Monitor your email for a your successful sign-up.

antibodies help the body fight the virus, complete immunity, as with any virus, is impossible. “You can still catch COVID even if you’re vaccinated,” Brewer said. “Vaccines just reduce the severity of the illness.” After receiving the vaccine, a reaction causing sickness may still occur as the body begins to contend with the intrusion of external viral cells and the stimulation of the immune system. “Your body is still trying to fight off a foreign virus,” Brewer said. “You’re still putting in pieces of the virus, just at a smaller dose.” Brewer believes that viral online conjectures about government or corporate interference with the vaccine are ill-founded. “A microchip in the vaccine is a conspiracy theory,” Brewer said. STORY Austin Williams, Toby Barrett GRAPHIC Jonathan Yin

STEP 2

Fill out the short form used for initial registration and pre-screening for vaccination eligibility.

STEP 4

Wait. Eventually, you will receive a text message or email telling you where and when you’ll receive your vaccination.

STEP 5

Show up! It’s really that simple.

The ReMarker

April 16, 2021

Issues

30%

Multiple Rhabdomyolysis diagnoses last month

MARKSMEN CONNECT

Connecting beyond campus

Over 5,500 alumni, students, faculty and parents have connected with other Marksmen, literally across the globe. The vehicle? Marsksmen Connect, a virtual device uniting the community.

NOT ALONE As they leave campus and spread across the country and globe, Markemen can find others in the same area or in a similar field through Marksmen Connect.

ear the end of college, every student will be faced with the challenge of finding a job. They have to find the entrance to the career they want to pursue. But St. Mark’s graduates get an edge. They get the benefit of connections. Networking with people they have never even met. They have the benefit of Marksmen Connect.

April 16, 2021

Issues

The ReMarker

While revamping Marksmen Connect, a website where alumni could look for fellow Marksmen in their area and search for professional connections within the community, Director of Alumni Relations Alex Eshelbrenner sought to reengage many alumni with the school community. The new Marksmen Connect does just that. “Marksmen Connect is a better mousetrap,” Eshelbrenner said. “It’s the ability to connect with anyone anywhere, such as sharing contact information. There are search functions that you can filter down to where you can find a specific person that does exactly what you want to do or hope to do. There’s also a job board, which is new, where you can look and find internships or job opportunities.” Among the numerous changes to the software is the addition of a map of the locations of all the Marksmen who have signed into Marksmen Connect, allowing you to find others in your area. There’s also an option to preview their profiles and see their interests and careers. “You can see that we’ve got 300+ alums living in the New York

An inside LOOK

One of the main features of the Marksmen Connect website is the map search feature. Each blue dot represents a specific number of people who are members of Marksmen Connect. Almost 3,000 users — such as faculty and students — are located around the Metroplex.

area,” Eshelbrenner said. “We’ve got 2,000 living in the Dallas area. Then, you can continue to zoom in on what they have listed as their home address to [find people in your area and to] be able to make meaningful connections.” As of its release late last year, the platform is available for almost any member of the community to join: alumni, faculty, former faculty and current students. To further integrate people into the community, Eshelbrenner aims to open Marksmen Connect to both students and alumni in the upcoming months. “The whole purpose of [Marksmen Connect] is to be able to keep people really closely connected with one another,” Eshelbrenner said. “That’s the entire goal, to be able to have those relationships maintained now and forever.” The Development Office wants to get students involved in Marksmen Connect, but wants to discuss the benefits of the software and students’ mindsets before they admit everyone. “A lot of people think, ‘I need to find an internship. How can I use the alumni network?’” Eshelbrenner said. “We want to reframe that a little bit to where the idea is, ‘How can you start to grow your own personal network?’” When making connections through Marksmen Connect, Eshelbrenner hopes community members will form strong, long-term relationships rather than simply aiming to find a job. “These are going to be the same alums that are going to help you get your first internship, sure, but also

your first job, your second or third job,” Eshelbrenner said. “The idea is to not look at it as a short-term opportunity, but as a long-term lifelong relationship.” The Development Office has been working with the Student Alumni Association to begin teaching students about Marksmen Connect. “The Student Alumni Association is the volunteer club that has the most access to it because that’s an opportunity for us to be able to share and to teach them about it,” Eshelbrenner said. While Eshelbrenner would like to hold an Upper School assembly in an ordinary year to teach the rest of the Upper School, he also understands the large workload many students face, so he and the Student Alumni Association have made all their meetings optional. “We hope that the boys will want to seek this out and find it really valuable,” Eshelbrenner said. “And I think that the boys who opt in, find that value. But how do we continue to reach the boys that might not be as keen on it at this particular time?” Co-president of the Student Alumni Association Blake Broom outlined some of the benefits of the new version of Marksmen Connect when looking for nearby alumni. “A cool aspect of the program is that it not only describes a Marksmen’s educational and professional experience, but it also provides backgrounds into their interests and hobbies,” Broom said. STORY Jack Davis, Shreyan Daulat GRAPHIC Jonathan Yin

Images taken directly from the Marksmen Connect website: https://www.marksmenconnect.com/

As users zoom in on their desired search location the dots will get more specific as to the specified location of the users. Once the dot only represents individuals who live in that location, it becomes orange. Marksmen can contact over 200 community members near New York City.

by Myles Lowenberg wo Upper School students have been diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis in the past month. School nurse Julie Doerge described how the condition, called Rhabdo for short, starts in the body. “Rhabdo is a serious syndrome,” Doerge said, “resulting from the breakdown of skeletal muscle fibers with a leakage of muscle content into the circulation.” While it can have a variety of causes, Doerge said there are three main symptoms she looks for. “One is muscle pain in your shoulders, your thighs or in your lower back,” Doerge said. “We also look for muscle weakness that you complain about after exercise if it’s exertional Rhabdo, which is what we’re talking about. The third thing you’re going to look for is dark-red or brown urine. Half the patients who get Rhabdo don’t complain of muscle symptoms.” Freshman William Clarke experienced some of these symptoms of Rhabdo first-hand when he was ill with it last month. “I first knew something was wrong when my urine was super dark. Then we went to the ER, and they told me I had Rhabdo,” Clarke said. “The biggest symptom I’d say is extreme soreness. Not like typical muscle soreness — it was so bad I couldn’t put my socks or shoes on in the morning.” Shortly before he got Rhabdo, Clarke had a tough workout in crew that may have caused the condition. “The workout we had on the Wednesday before spring break was the first full workout I had in a while, the first time that we had really gone all-out legs,” Clarke said. “I think if I had conditioned more a little bit ahead of time, or if I had gone a little slower that day, maybe something like this could have been prevented.” Doerge agreed that one important way to prevent Rhabdo is to ease back into tough exercises if they haven’t been done in a while, like going back to sports after sitting at home more often because of the pandemic. “The way we are going to prevent [Rhabdo] is you’re going to do a gradual increase in activity for any specific kind of exercise,” Doerge said. “So we don’t come in and suddenly do 250 jump squats if you haven’t done anything, you want to do a gradual build up. The other thing is hydration, to make sure you’re really, really well hydrated with any exercise. We also say that sleep and nutrition are always key.”

Users can then view other profiles to see contact information and linked Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other accounts. They can also contact through Marksmen Connect itself.

Snow

The storm of the decade E

with how the freezing temperatures affected his pipes. “I work in emergency preparedness for the University of Texas,” Kimmel said. “On that Monday after the big snow, we had no power, as many people in Texas didn’t, and the university police wanted to get me out of my house to a place where I could work and cover things for them. I have WHEN IT RAINS Drenched in water leaking from the ceiling, eighth-grader a pretty widespread George Hoverman’s sister’s room sustained significant structural damage after a security system in the frozen pipe burst. Luckily, the Hovermans salvaged smaller personal belongings. house with cameras, snowstorm. Because it’ll happen — sooner or and, at about 10:30 on later, it will happen.” Wednesday night, I was watching my security Another controversy that arose during system and suddenly I saw a lot of water in the storm was an argument around renewable places there shouldn’t be water.” energy versus age-old fossil fuels. The science behind bursting “What’s interesting is that renewable pipes is fairly straightforward. energy only accounts for about ten percent of Environmental science teacher our electricity,” Northcut said. “So, all the other Dan Northcut ‘81 avoided leaks by 90 percent of our electricity is from coal, natural ‘dripping’ his faucets to keep the gas and nuclear plants. When this happened, water moving. the first thing our governor did was blame “When water changes state from wind energy. That was just completely false.” liquid to solid, it expands by about nine percent,” Northcut said. “What will happen is that plastic, PVC or There was no real question that copper pipes will crack — and that’s there would be some bitterly not the scary part. You won’t even cold air coming in. It came south from know they’ve cracked until the water Canada, flowed down the slope of the stops being frozen, which could be Rockies and came smack-dab into Texas. days later.” Troy Kimmel, incident meteorologist Kimmel says the unusual cold front Texas received was the result of Northcut added that all of the different a blast of air from the Arctic. power producers had trouble with their “It was an interesting event production. One of the biggest issues stemmed because there were early signs,” from the pipes. Kimmel said. “Beginning in “The cooling water that’s needed for late December, we saw some stratospheric warming over the polar thermo-electric plants was freezing up,” Northcut said. “You can’t make energy without regions, which ties into this thing water, so once those pipes froze up, they had to we call the polar vortex. That tells shut those plants down.” us there’s going to be excessively Northcut’s biggest concern is that power cold air near the ground, the polar companies won’t learn from the snowstorm. regions. The earth operates on this If a major event like this only happens every premise of thermal equilibrium — decade or so, he worries that they might just the cold air in the north has to go hope for the best and endanger more lives. south and vice versa.” “You hear a lot of disgust for government Northcut is also frustrated by regulations,” Northcut said. “But people have how the government handled the to realize that a certain amount of regulation is situation. necessary for people’s safety and health. And “What people need to comfort. I mean, don’t we have street lights? understand is that they have those Don’t we have speed limits? Human beings are sorts of temperatures in the northern just not terribly good at dealing with greed, and states all the time, and they don’t it’s too bad because this is a situation where have this type of problem,” Northcut not doing the preparation work cost over 100 said. “It’s because they did their due SNOWED OUT At locations around the state, temperatures people their lives.” reached as low as -20 °F. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex diligence. They winterized all the received a total of three to five inches of powdered snow. pipes to the power plants, so they’re the valuables were saved, the room looked able to handle those temperatures that are fairly STORY Austin Williams, Toby Barrett PHOTOS Ekansh Tambe, George Hoverman, unsalvageable. annual to them.” Families all across the state faced The power situation in Texas is difficulties like the Hovermans, some even somewhat controversial. The state has SLIPPERY SLOPE Roads throughout Texas became hazardous to drivers after a layer of ice caused tractional complications. Many worse. Power was unreliable and limited. Water been on an independent power grid had to be boiled. from the rest of the country since 1935 Texans faced problems with transportation and were stranded. The state was unprepared — but will that when all of the utility companies in change next time? the state agreed to not send power out of the state. Austin meteorologist Troy Kimmel doesn’t “Texas moved to deregulate think so. the power industry 20-something “The people at the government level, state years ago because the people in and local, did not do their jobs,” Kimmel said. charge didn’t want to have to have “That’s something that’s very apparent to me. federal regulations on our Texas When I rebuild, I’m going to have a power electrical businesses,” Northcut said. generator in my house. I no longer trust the “Everywhere else in the country, state and local people to be able to supply the federal regulations dictate that utilities to me.” all these power plants need to be Much like Hoverman, Kimmel faced issues prepared for something like the

The ReMarker • April 16, 2021

ighth-grader George Hoverman was wrapped up warm and grinding away at his math homework at his desk when he heard a shriek from upstairs. His sister had noticed a steady drip falling from her ceiling — a frozen pipe had burst. By the time Hoverman and his family got upstairs with their bright orange five-gallon Home Depot buckets, an ominous balloonshaped swell was forming in the ceiling. All of a sudden, water began to pour. Sheetrock, insulation and pieces of ceiling streamed down into the room. In a flash, the family started moving — George’s father searched for the water valve. His sister grabbed her valuables. His mother phoned the neighbors for help. “When it popped, the room was flooded,” Hoverman said. “It was like a two-inch kiddie pool of water.” For the next three hours, neighbors surged in and out of the house, collecting debris in black trash bags and tossing them out of the window onto the grass. A group of guys rolled the dripping-wet carpet up. By the time all

Discoveries

On Feb. 13, Texas began to feel the weight of a colossal snow storm, bigger than any of its kind in the past ten years. After the winds stopped and the skies cleared, the power grid was wrecked — nearly 1.1 million people in Dallas-Fort Worth were left without power. Here’s a look at the science behind the storm and the reasons why Texas wasn’t ready.

Cuisine

Senior Rohan Khatti talks about his cooking hobby and the science of food. Page 8

In brief

GARDEN Director of Environmental Studies Dan Northcut dug out an area behind the greenhouse as a garden for students. The garden will be used primarily by the Gardening Club, but the Cultivation Nation also plans to make use of the space in the future. Northcut plans to grow vegetable and berry plants but also is looking to see what else he can grow over the summer. Since most students do not get as much experience from a garden as they might from a greenhouse, the area could become fruitful for future teaching. STEM FESTIVAL The new schedule for the 2020-21 school year provided students with many academic opportunities to choose from through a wider variety of classes than have ever been offered before. Next year, however, middle schoolers will still take the required courses offered in previous years before the implementation of the new schedule. One new course has been made available to eighth grade students: engineering 8, a non-departmental elective taught by Makerspace Director Stewart Mayer.

IN THE LAB Rohan Khatti cooks up lunchtime burgers for his friends on their Spring Break vacation to Florida.

CUISINE

A scientific chef Senior Rohan Khatti has become quite the cook, but it’s not all cute aprons and sauce tasting. He’s got his work down to a science.

April 16, 2021

Discoveries

The ReMarker

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ne may have seen the products of his elevated cooking club masterpieces. One may have seen him baking bread everyday over the summer. But, it’s not all fun and games. Beneath the cute apron, senior Rohan Khatti is a scientist. Khatti made his first few dishes, though simple, when he was young. He recognizes these experiences can be effective ways to practice the basics. “I used to eat my mom’s scrambled eggs or pancakes pretty much every single morning,” Khatti said. “It was the first thing I ever learned to cook, and

now, I feel I’ve mastered them.” From there, Khatti started to try out different recipes, some of which he still makes to this day. “Besides the scrambled eggs, I remember cooking pancakes, bacon and hashbrowns,” Khatti said. “But nowadays, I really love making pizza completely from scratch in my small gas-powered pizza oven.” Khatti’s cooking has developed over time due to the influence of stay-at-home cooking and reduced takeout options. According to a Bloomberg survey of 2,200 Americans, only 9% plan to cook less once restrictions are lifted. For Khatti, quarantine brought free time and an

A look at senior Rohan Khatti’s cooking from his Instagram account, @khatticooking.

“Cheese boards are easily the most addicting appetizer; so many choices! This board is composed of Manchego, Cabra al Vino, sweet goat cheese, and Port Salut cheese. For crackers, I added water crackers, sourdough crackers, and multigrain seed crackers.”

opportunity to explore his passion. “When quarantine started,” Khatti said, “I actually made a private Snapchat story for my close friends called ‘quarantine cooking.’ I would cook or bake different things, and then I would upload videos and photos of me cooking the food.” Snapchat only allowed Khatti to make one-minute videos which would not be saved after 24 hours. After a few weeks on the platform, he knew he needed a change. “I had a lot of fun doing it,” Khatti said, “but I wanted to move to Instagram so all my cooking could be documented and saved on the internet as highquality photos.” Since then, Khatti has found added benefits of the platform helpful in allowing him to publicly post his recipes. “My process with my Instagram account usually doesn’t have much structure,” Khatti said. “I’ve taken a pretty chill approach where I never plan to post until the day I cook the food. If I have the sudden urge to cook something cool, I just go for it and post.” In November 2019, Khatti made a sourdough starter which he has used throughout quarantine to bake bread. He says that baking’s connection to food science has helped him in the process. “I’ve found that food science and baking are very similar in the way that they are both formulaic and scientific in nature,” Khatti said. “I really like that as long as I am super precise in my measurements and procedure, my baked goods will come out the same every time.” Looking into the future, Khatti recognizes the limitations of his college life, both financially and timewise. Nonetheless, he knows he wants to keep cooking in his adult life, taking it with him wherever he goes. “When I’m an adult with a hopefully higherpaying job,” Khatti said, “I’d like to have a huge decked out kitchen in my dream house where I could cook whatever my mind could conjure.” Even though he doesn’t plan on attending a culinary school or majoring in a cooking-related field, Khatti still wants to develop his skills over time. He says that experimentation could be the next step. “I want to develop my creative skills in the kitchen further because I haven’t done a lot of from scratch experimenting or dish creating,” Khatti said. “Someday, I’d love to make my own tasting menu that is so nuanced that you could call it art.” STORY Nikhil Dattatreya, Cooper Ribman PHOTOS Courtesy Sai Thirunigari

“Sunday breakfast: toasted Asiago cheese bagel, cream cheese, salmon lox, capers, everything bagel seasoning from @traderjoes , and a cup of black coffee. #bagel #lox #salmon #creamcheese”

“Triple Burgers with our elevated version of animal sauce in the balcony pool can’t be beat. #limolifestyle #burger #yummy #secretsauce #cooking #dinner”

“These delicious Peruvian cookies called Alfajores consist of a scoop of dulce de leche sandwiched between two shortbread cookies and rolled in shredded coconut”

“These pancakes were honestly gorgeous. The blueberry syrup was perfect over the fluffy fruit-filled pancakes. ”

New courses

Choices, choices For a typical class of seniors, that means offering seven classes per semester, making up 14 classes for the school year. “Initially, when I asked for proposals from teachers, I got 20 proposals because some teachers had multiple proposals,” Morris said. “That’s when we did the initial survey of interest and got an idea from the Junior Class as to what courses might actually warrant a place on the offering list.” The process through which proposals for the new English electives were formed followed one overarching question: what courses will seniors be interested in and excited about? “We definitely wanted to try to offer courses that reflected a diverse array of perspectives in terms of race, gender, geographic location, time period and genre,” Morris said. “We were

interested in that, and we wanted to try to offer the kinds of courses and books that we didn’t necessarily feel that we had a chance to teach in the regular nine through 11 curriculum.” The English Department will visit every year to reevaluate the elective course selection based on instructor and student feedback. This means that the current slate of 14 electives will likely change. “I would imagine, as the years go by, some courses will remain, some will change and some will probably disappear,” Morris said. “But it’ll all be gauged on student experiences and teachers’ perceptions of those experiences.” Below are excerpts from the course descriptions of the various new English courses offered to the rising Senior Class:

• CONTEMPORARY FICTION This course will explore the value of contemporary fiction to both individuals and society, thus seeking to determine how contemporary fiction fits into current political, cultural, historical and philosophical trends. • DYSTOPIAN LITERATURE Prophecy, warning or both, we will consider why dystopias captivate us and what the authors of these works do through their fictional, yet often realistic, stories. • LITERATURE OF HUMAN RIGHTS This course will explore human rights through the lens of fiction and documentary film, looking at texts that elucidate situations in which human rights are at issue. • A ONE-HUNDRED-YEAR PARTNERSHIP: A HISTORY OF DALLAS AND ST. MARK’S The goals of this course are to read important works of literature and history, fine-tune our writing across genre and to raise awareness of and develop skills for both Civic Responsibility and Institutional Stewardship. • LITERATURE OF THE APOCALYPSE What will the end of the world be like? This course will explore novels, short stories, films and poems that pose and answer these questions. • CREATIVE WRITING Through selected readings and discussion of fiction, nonfiction and poetry, students in Creative Writing compose their own creative compositions in these genres. • FICTIONS OF AN EMPIRE Through a selection of mostly British authors, we will explore the world through the eyes of both the colonizers and the colonized in order to form a holistic view of the lasting impact of imperialism. BOOKS Once courses are finalized, teachers will place their final book orders in late May or early June. Above are some books that will likely be in some of the new courses. While all these courses are offered for next year, if there is not a sufficient number of students wanting to take the course, the course will not materialize.

STORY Axel Icazbalceta, Morgan Chow GRAPHIC Axel Icazbalceta

• LITERATURE, FILM AND MUSIC OF THE SEA This class will explore artistic works that celebrate the sea and the attraction human beings have to its excitement, mystery, and danger. • SCIENCE FICTION This course will introduce students to literature that falls within a broad genre, one that seeks to explore questions of “what if?” as much as it examines topics of humanity, culture and the like. • POP CULTURE We will look at and talk about examples of music, fashion, advertising, memes and other products or “texts,” of mass culture, analyzing what they reveal about our lives and values. • BLACK AMERICAN LITERATURE This course travels from the conclusion of WWII to present, examining major works by Black American writers, often exploring the relationship between race, the individual and society. • LITERATURE OF WAR & SURVIVAL This course travels from The Great War to the present, examining the literature that defined and was defined by conflicts of the time.

• FROM PAGE TO STAGE After reading novels, plays and other texts, students study their transformation onto the stage or into films. • SENIOR COMPOSITION Students taking this class will write frequent, short essays (250-550 words) and read a variety of prose, primarily essays out of the Norton Reader (15th Ed.) but also topical essays/articles (often from headlines and Op/Ed pages), creative nonfiction and short fiction.

n addition to the 14 new English elective, three new courses have been added to the History and Social Sciences Department. “What you’re seeing is the department responding to the new structure, which has us teaching semesters and allows us to teach semester courses,” History and Social Sciences Department Chair David Fisher said. “So we’re experimenting with the idea of offering semester courses, and if there’s more uptake

for semester courses than some of our other offerings, then that may be the direction in which we should move.” According to Fisher, there are few criteria needed to create a new course: an instructor and a group of students interested in taking the course, so long as this course does not interfere with graduation requirements. Confirming the course would require a meeting of department heads and the Upper School administration.

“Any teacher can propose a course,” Fisher said. “Tomorrow, I can say I would like to do a course on the history of Malay sailors in the Islamic world and try to convince you that this is an essential course that students should take. But if I get nobody interested in the course, then that course doesn’t make.” Below are excerpts from the course descriptions of the offered History and Social Sciences courses.

• THE AMERICAN COLLEGE: THE HISTORY AND LITERATURE OF AN INSTITUTION This course will combine the study of the history of colleges and universities in the United States with a consideration of how this institution has been depicted in literature and the arts.

• THE SECOND WORLD WAR This course continues the examination of global conflict in the 20th century begun in “The Great War.” The course will be lecture-driven, with occasional assistance from illustrative video resources, Powerpoints and short articles.

• THE GREAT WAR The course will address the World War I’s causes, course and effects, both diplomatically and on the home fronts of the major powers. The course will be lecture-driven, with occasional assistance from illustrative video resources, Powerpoints and short articles.

The ReMarker • April 16, 2021

fter several department meetings, English instructors discovered many parallels between the AP English language and AP English literature courses. Both courses focused on skills — such as close reading and effective writing — instead of having a core body of books chosen. With this in mind, the two AP courses were consolidated into one year-long course, opening up students’ senior year. “We also realized that if we were able to combine the two in one year,” English Department Chair Michael Morris said, “we would be able to offer to the whole Senior Class electives that would let them identify their own interests and really have a unique experience for their last year at St. Mark’s.” The reasoning behind offering 14 classes was to reach an average class size of 15 students.

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With the new schedule, the English and History and Social Sciences Departments have greater flexibility in the courses they are able to offer.

Teachers

What does it feel like to finally come back to school after a semester online? Page 10

Debate

How two debaters met the challenges of online debate and succeeded. Page 11

This is Us

Talking with two alumni who worked on this hit NBC show. Page 12

In brief END OF YEAR TRADITIONS Marksmen Ball will take place May 22 at 6:30 p.m., and Baccalaureate will occur May 24 at 8 p.m., both in the Perot Quadrangle. Baccalaureate has a rain date for May 25 at the same time. Final Assembly will be in Spencer Gymnasium May 28. Only seniors and senior parents are allowed at these events. Commencement takes place May 28 at 8 p.m., where each senior will be alloted six tickets. Commencement has rain dates of May 29, May 30 and May 31. Final Assembly and Commencement will be live streamed. The Commencment speaker will be Lt. Gen. Steven Shepro, the 21st deputy chairman of NATO and parent of sixth-grader Jack Shepro. CELEBRATE ST. MARK’S Celebrate St. Mark’s will take place virtually April 17 at 7 p.m. This year’s theme is “The Great Wilderness,” recognizing the 50th anniversary of the St. Mark’s Wilderness Program. The event’s proceeds will go to the Frank Jordan Wilderness endowment, continuous tornado recovery and the St. Mark’s Fund. MMI The Marksmen Multicultural Initiative (MMI), a student organization, created a Diversity and Inclusion Council (DIC) — though the name has yet to be finalized — and a diversity event in conjunction with the school administration. As of print date, the mission of the council is: “In partnership with the Upper School Office and the Director of Inclusion and Diversity, the student-run Council will work across all School divisions to foster inclusivity and celebrate diversity in the St. Mark’s community.” According to MMI, the diversity event “allows for students to realize the importance of understanding other cultures and appreciate diversity in the student body.” More information on the council and diversity event will be sent in the coming weeks. PUBLICATIONS AWARDS Four student publications — The ReMarker student newspaper, Focus, The ReMarker’s single-topic magazine, The Marque literary magazine, and The Scientific Marksman, a student-produced scientific journal — received Gold Crown awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association as announced March 19. This marks the 18th consecutive Gold Crown award for The ReMarker, the eighth for The Marque, the second for The Scientific Marksman and the first for Focus.

Humanities

Physics

or Thomas S. Adams lthough he had been Master Teaching on campus without Chair Rebecca Jenkins, students on occasion, the experience of remote physics instructor Stephen teaching was starkly Houpt’s first day back different in some ways, gave him the opportunity yet oddly familiar in to see the campus with others. Her environment the presence of the entire remained largely the school community for the same, allowing her to ease first time in over a year. into the new normal. “I did enjoy it,” Houpt “It was a really said. “It was a really strange experience good feeling, actually. It because I never felt like had been an entire year, I had left,” Jenkins said. so it was a very good “I was working remotely experience.” everyday. I was in my However, Houpt’s classroom. I was doing first day back wasn’t everything I would have a seamless transition. usually done, except for With some students still the fact that I wasn’t there learning remotely, Houpt with the boys.” had to adjust to the new One hardship for situation, especially with Jenkins in remote learning displaying videos. FIRST DAY BACK English Instructor David Brown spent the last year teaching his classes remotely from his home was that the virtual “My biggest difficulty office. Brown can now close that chapter in his teaching career, as he’s finally able to be back on campus. classroom limited her really was dealing with ability to interpret cues video,” Houpt said. “I from her students. had a hard time, at the REMOTE LEARNING “It’s really interesting because when beginning, showing video to the remote you’re teaching, you gauge your next people and showing it to the people in move sometimes by how you see your class.” students responding,” Jenkins said. “And Although over a full year had passed the problem with seeing them through a since he had taught a typical, in-person camera is that you don’t get those subtle class, it only took Houpt one week to responses that let you, as a teacher, know adjust back to teaching on campus, even that you need to back up and try again.” with the different circumstances. Jenkins also found effectively “Now I’m pretty happy,” Houpt said. Over a year after the school first began remote learning, engaging her students was much more “By the time the week was over, I felt these teachers are just now returning to campus to teach difficult through a screen. pretty confident about how things were “There’s a certain entertainment going.” their students in person for the first time. Looking back, value to teaching,” Jenkins said, “and Being remote for the majority of the they’ve formed a unique experience to reflect on. you need to be able to move, to gesture, school year, Houpt didn’t get to see his to do all these things that you can’t do students in person until his first day back. well through the screen.” “One thing I noticed was that I he experience of remote teaching brought mixed feelings for Victor Though Jenkins has certainly missed could actually see how tall people were,” F. White Master Teaching Chair David Brown. As to which one he the experience of teaching in the same Houpt said. “I was surprised that some would prefer, Brown asserts that he would take a physical classroom over of the other people were really quite tall, room as her students, she was also eager a virtual one any day. to jump back into taller than me, and Rebecca Stephen Jenkins Houpt “For me, remote teaching had both its upsides and downsides,” the social aspect of other people were Humanities Physics Brown said. “You’re missing the group dynamic as a whole, and you’re campus life. shorter than me. instructor instructor missing interactions that are only possible face-to-face.” “I missed seeing I had, of course, In order to facilitate classrooms with remote teachers, administrators the maintenance no idea that they and teachers from elsewhere on campus served as proctors in remote guys,” Jenkins were shorter than classrooms. Brown is especially grateful for these efforts. said. “I just missed me, so that was “[Proctors] gave periods to sit with my classes when they normally seeing the other adults. Having the joy interesting.” would have had it free,” Brown said. “They had to be there in the room of working with other people, other There’s a level of comfort and overseeing things, and if I needed some quick favor, they would do it. teachers and staff and the adults in the convenience that Houpt appreciated They should be applauded for being willing to do that.” community was something I missed during his time teaching remotely. For Brown, coming back to campus was a refreshing yet strange tremendously.” “If you’re teaching in person, you experience. Brown’s students, who had already gotten to know him Reflecting on her experience with have to drive to work and drive home,” virtually all year, were thrust into a second first meeting with Brown, remote learning and with COVID-19 in Houpt said. “If I’m teaching remotely, I creating some strange interactions. the past year, Jenkins wonders whether don’t have to do that. I just get up and go “Well, the funny thing is, most of my students had no idea what I the community could have taken better into the spare room and start working.” looked like as a whole person,” Brown said. “I remember that the first advantage of the unfortunate situation Houpt has also noticed some of the time [sophomore] Zane Wallace saw me, he looked stunned, and he said, presented by the virus. conveniences of teaching in a classroom ‘Mr. Brown, I had no idea how tall you were. I assumed from looking “I worry that we’ve missed an setting as opposed to his home office. at you on the screen that you were a certain height, and you’re much opportunity with our COVID experience “I’m able to come up with taller.’” to better refine the things that we can more demonstrations on the spur The experiences of remote teaching and returning to campus have do with technology,” Jenkins said. “I of the moment,” Houpt said. “If I’m reaffirmed Brown’s appreciation for his surroundings. think that we could have worked as a just doing something, and, all of a “There’s a lesson I learned from a lot of other sources: Never take community and as a team of educators sudden, something occurs to me, I things for granted,” Brown said. “Be grateful for what you have. You to learn how to better hybridize our can just run over and grab it and do a never know when something might be taken away, so enjoy it.” delivery of information.” demonstration.”

Teaching transition

April 16, 2021

The ReMarker

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English

STORY Will Pechersky, Will Spencer PHOTOS Evan Lai

School journalism instructor receives national acclaim with CSPA award by Ian Dalrymple ene and Alice Oltrogge Master Teaching Chair Ray Westbrook was named Journalism Teacher of the Year by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA). To Westbrook, the award came as a surprise. “I guess it would be kind of cliché to say I was in disbelief, but I really was,” Westbrook said. “I was shocked.” Westbrook had applied two times before. Originally, however, he didn’t plan on throwing his hat in the ring a third time. “I was reluctant to apply at first,” Westbrook said. “There is a long application process that the advisor has to originate, and it can be kind of disheartening to put your heart into it.” However, after four of his journalism advisor friends encouraged him to apply, Westbrook decided it

was worth a shot. Despite his initial hesitation, Westbrook found the application to be a helpful experience. “It was kind of a good process for me,” Westbrook said. “It summarized so many of the good things we have going on here. The process kind of helped me understand where we are as a program.” Westbrook says that for his final application, he stressed the impact of the program. “I think one thing that we have done over the years here is initiate conversations around campus and bring forth issues that should be discussed,” Westbrook said. “My essay was about all the good things that you guys have written about. Our fourpage package on bullying from around 2010 is just one example. The Head of Middle School at the time requested 400 copies of it and distributed them to the Humanities classes. That’s how

I started the essay, by showing the committee the importance of our work here.” After he won, Westbrook received more than just a plaque. “On a very personal level, I received over 400 messages from colleagues, former students and current students,” Westbrook said. “I even received a Facebook message from a young lady who I taught in 1974. I hadn’t heard from her since, and 46 years later, she sends me a nice note. As a teacher, just to see all these people from my path come forth and say nice things about me was so gratifying.” Westbrook’s current students also came forward with congratulations, including ReMarker Editor-in-Chief Robert Pou. “I can’t think of anyone more deserving of the award than Ray,” Pou said. “A mentor and a guide, he’s

always there for his guys, and he’s willing to help us with anything we need, even beyond journalism. He’s the best.” Westbrook says that, though he may be the recipient of the award, he certainly wasn’t the only one behind it. “I think it’s important that everyone reading this article knows that this would not be possible without an incredible administrative team,” Westbrook said. “Mr. [Arnie] Holtberg, the previous headmaster, was 100 percent supportive of our efforts. [Headmaster] Mr. [David] Dini has also been 100 percent supportive. Mr. Dini always tells the incoming editor, ‘I trust you to cover whatever you feel is important for our community.’ There is no greater compliment to the program than hearing that from your headmaster. This award certainly does not go just to me, it goes to the whole program and the whole school.”

DOUBLE DEBATERS

A new debate scene Two Upper Schoolers compete at the highest level of debate in a completely new format with COVID-19 having changed the game. Can they come out on top?

READY FOR ACTION Yang and Bhimani became partners this school year, and Bhimani had debated for only a year before he started competing on the national stage.

ore tournaments. Matches on Zoom. A new topic. Debate changes every year, but this one has been especially different. However, two partners in the program, senior David Yang and junior Zayn Bhimani, have adjusted to these changes and pushed on in a year like no other.

11 The ReMarker

STORY Cooper Ribman, Myles Lowenberg GRAPHIC Jonathan Yin

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Bhimani had to adjust to debating in national tournaments quickly because he had only debated in a few tournaments in ninth grade before returning to the school this year. “It was definitely quite a steep learning curve, but the rest of the team really helped me out a lot,” Bhimani said. “I came into the year not knowing much about debate. The coaches are awesome, but a lot of the coaching just happens with your partners, like David. Starting with the first few national tournaments, I was quite a wreck, but after I got into it and put a lot of time and effort in, it really paid off.” Bhimani remembers a turning point in his year in debate when he was competing in a tournament with junior Sal Abbasi last December. “We hadn’t been to a tournament in a while, since our last one we went 2-5, which is pretty bad,” Bhimani said. “The month before, all I was doing was just going over my mistakes, what went wrong and trying to redo as many debates as I could. That whole month was just me spending a lot of weekends doing that.” His efforts were rewarded when he finally competed in the tournament. “In the second-to-last round, we were against a team ranked around 25th best in the nation, and it was the affirmative debate, so it was me who was really carrying the ship,” Bhimani said. “We ended up with a win, and my momentum started kicking in, and we went way up from there.” However, Bhimani has also had to deal with the challenges of being online the entire year. He sees both positives and negatives for his situation. “Being remote has really helped me go to as many tournaments as I can,” Bhimani said. “It’s also been an obstacle to get experience cross-examining. There’s also a lot of times when you’re just interacting with your partners or opponents. Also, you need to develop that unspoken technique of getting your points across to the judge, and I don’t really think I was able to, being across a computer screen."

by Morgan Chow ay 14 is when seniors are required to submit a virtual senior exhibition, according to an announcement by the sponsors of the Senior Class March 29. Upper School Head Colin Igoe says these presentations will let the seniors contemplate their experiences during the school year. “We had to change to a virtual and COVIDfriendly format to give seniors an opportunity to reflect on their experience while not competing with all the other myriad tasks and responsibilities of the senior year,” Igoe said. “So, as we get past that college piece and into the end of this year, it seemed like a perfect time for them to be able to reflect, really think about the experience and share something back with the community.” Seniors had until April 5 to send their proposals to their advisors to introduce their topics. After that point, the seniors have five weeks to finish their virtual presentations. Igoe believes that the video format of the exhibitions will help with creating a better output overall. “Unlike in a normal year, where we'd have a live presentation, there is time for drafts and practice during those five weeks,” Igoe said. “Obviously, we want to do it before graduation so that they can complete it, we can review them and we can share them widely while still giving them time until that mid-May deadline. That way, they still have time to experiment and draft and create and feel good about the product.” Igoe finds these senior exhibitions to be an impactful facet of the culture here. “From what I saw last year," Igoe said, "I think it was pretty special that there was an opportunity to reflect on something that was meaningful as you're finishing your time here, looking back on pivotal experiences or moments or people who impacted your journey.” He also believes that the presentations are important for the school as a whole. “It’s also for the other members of the community,” Igoe said. “When you're a Middle School boy, a Lower School boy or even an Upper School boy, and you see a senior reflect on something that was meaningful, maybe that piques curiosity, opens your eyes to something you may not have pursued or affirms something you are interested in. I think that's the type of place we want to be — one community that appreciates the work boys have done and then looks at older boys as a model of what to aspire to be.”

April 16, 2021

Though COVID-19 has certainly brought about change to the debate program, Yang notices other game-changing differences, too. “The biggest change in our class this year has been our assistant coach Jason Peterson's (JP) regular appearance,” Yang

said. “JP lives in rural California, so we usually only see him at travel tournaments and the annual Heart of Texas debate tournament (our own tournament here at school).” Yang has had to adapt to online debate formats over the course of this year. “Even after in-person learning resumed, the Honors Debate class has stayed on [Microsoft] Teams, where we can see JP almost every class,” Yang said. “Having a second coach at all times has been pretty helpful in our brainstorming and argument development. We were pretty used to online learning because we all went to seven-week debate camps

over the summer, which were all held over Zoom as well.” Online debate has presented challenges, but Yang tries to look on the bright side of the issue. “In the wise words of Kevin Hirn, debate coach at the University of Michigan: ‘Online debate is a travesty, but it's certainly better than the alternative of no debate at all,’” Yang said. Yang says debate tournaments are always exhausting with 14-hour days, but Zoom fatigue poses even more difficulties. “Audio and Wi-Fi issues sometimes make it hard to communicate with your opponents," Yang said. "Moreover, all the fun parts of national circuit debating — such as exploring different cities, seeing your friends from other states and team meals — are completely gone.” Despite these difficulties, Yang maintains that there are some advantages to competing in debates over the internet. “Online debate David Yang does have its merits,” Senior Yang said. “We've been able to go to way more tournaments than previous years because there are no travel costs. Tournaments in general are way more competitive and difficult because travel costs can no longer constrain many top teams, so the competition aspect is more exciting than pre-COVID years.” Furthermore, online debate has offered new opportunities to younger debaters in the school’s program. “Exposing the first-year debaters to national-level competition — when they would typically only face Dallas-area schools — has kept more people interested in continuing debate,” Yang said.

Senior exes return in new, virtual format

THIS IS US

Hollywood careers Working in Los Angeles during an pandemicaltered year, two alumni coincidentally crossed paths in the entertainment industry in their work on NBC television’s hit show This Is Us.

ne applicant among hundreds. One episode. One role. This was his shot to make it onto a Hollywood TV show. Taubert Nadalini ’13 read the script into the camera. For the audition, he gave his best impersonation of a curly-haired medical student who would be on NBC’s This Is Us. He sent in the video and then waited. For a week. Finally, he got word from the show: he was being put on hold. The producers would make a final decision soon. Finally, he found out he got the part. The casting director reached out to him once the episode was filmed, and Taubert learned something even more shocking. Another Marksman on the show?

April 16, 2021

The ReMarker

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After Taubert left for college, he began his journey to acting in Hollywood. “I went to drama school at USC [University of Southern California] here in LA and graduated there in 2017 with a degree in acting,” Taubert said. “From there, I started working in musical theater in Southern California, and through that, I was able to get a really great agent who has geared me more toward film and TV.” Alex Nadalini His brother, junior Alex Junior, Nadalini, also is aware of the Taubert’s brother challenges that come with working in Hollywood. “I’ve heard Taubert talk about how hard it is to get into film,” Alex said. “He’s talked about it as being a circle, and getting into it is really hard because they keep the people who are already in it.” Alex also appreciated his brother’s efforts to make it as an actor. “It’s pretty cool to see, and it’s inspiring,” Alex said. “It’s been a dream all his life to be an actor professionally. Seeing him persevere through everything is really inspiring, and especially during COVID, when the industry has taken a big hit and it’s hard to get a job as an actor now, he still just pushes forward and does what he loves.” Casting director Josh Einsohn ’90 and Taubert crossed paths more than a year ago, when Ryan Bowles ’90 connected him with Taubert, who was graduating from USC at the time. Einsohn met with Taubert once, but then this year, the This Is Us role opened up. “This role happened to say that this med student was supposed to have curly hair,” Einsohn said. “His agent submitted his new headshots with his pandemic hair — he had this long, curly hair, and I was like, ‘Oh, my God, perfect! Because of the pandemic, he looks exactly like what they’re talking about for the role.’ He read for it like everybody else,

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! Taubert Nadalini ’13 appeared on This Is Us season five, episode nine — “The Ride” — which aired Feb. 23, 2021. He played the character of a medical student named Leo at the start of the episode.

and I did not put my thumb on the scale and try to tip it his way. I let the producers decide on the merits, and he got the part.” Taubert and Einsohn didn’t interact until after the shoot for professional reasons, but they contacted each other later on. “We actually never talked leading up to the show’s shooting just because I didn’t want him to think that I thought he was working for me in an improper way,” Taubert said. “I wanted to keep it as professional as possible. And then after I shot the show and it aired, he reached out and told me congratulations, and I thanked him.” After that, they met one afternoon. “Josh and I got lunch, and we talked and built rapport. Given how small of a school St. Mark’s is, it’s rare to find someone in the entertainment field,” Taubert said. “Meeting Josh was a great opportunity for both of us to be able to know someone on the peer level in Los Angeles. Josh is one of the first people I’ve known professionally in LA who’s from St. Mark’s, who really gets the world I’m trying to build a career in.” Although they graduated more than 20 years apart, they were able to appreciate their time here when they met. “St. Mark’s is the type of place where you have a respect for anyone who’s graduated,” Taubert said. “Just because of how small and tight-knit it is and how reputable the teachers are there, everyone’s experiences seem to be similar. It’s a cool thing to be able to sit down with a Marksman — no matter what age — and be able to say we have a common understanding.” After enjoying humanities, drama and choir classes during his 12 years at the school, Einsohn majored in drama at Washington University in St. Louis, focusing on the directing aspect of theater. Einsohn’s father was in the graduating class one year apart from Oscar-award-winning actor Tommy Lee Jones ’65, so Einsohn met Jones during his senior

year of high school. During his senior year of college, Einsohn wrote to Jones seeking an outlet to pursue a job in Hollywood, so Jones gave him the opportunity to work as a personal assistant on the movie The Good Old Boys. “I am eternally grateful that Tommy Lee Jones reached back and opened the door for me, so it’s really fun when I get to do the same thing,” Einsohn said. “It’s a privilege getting to work on these shows that people actually care about. Getting to cast an alum on a show that I knew Josh people were actually going to see Einsohn was very exciting.” ’90 Casting Einsohn went on to primarily director work on various television shows as a casting director, including This Is Us, Black Monday and Love, Victor. “My first big TV show was The West Wing, which was and still is my favorite TV show,” Einsohn said. “I got to work on the last three seasons of that. It was an incredible experience, and it also really solidified my love for episodic casting.” Einsohn enjoys working in Hollywood because he derives fulfillment from working on shows in which the contributors creatively collaborate and brainstorm together. He prefers the quicker gratification of working on TV shows to the delayed one of movies, which may take several years before they meet an audience. “As hard as we work, the people actually enjoy it,” Einsohn said. “I know everybody thinks that we just go to parties, have nice cars and stuff, but the hours are long, and most of our job is not that. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the fans’ response, especially to This Is Us. And then one of my other shows is Love, Victor and the audience for that show is also deeply in love with it. I know how much both of those shows mean to the audience.” STORY Myles Lowenberg, Sai Thirunagari PHOTOS Courtesy John Einsohn

Alumnus hosts The Bachelor episode •

Emmanuel Acho ’08 hosted the “The Bachelor: After the Final Rose” special, which aired March 15. Acho was chosen for the role after Chris Harrison, the long-time host of The Bachelor, announced he was separating himself from the franchise for an indefinite amount of time.

•

Harrison stepped down from his role on the show after receiving backlash for defending former Bachelor contestant Rachel Kirkconnell during an interview. Kirkconnell was under fire after 2018 photos of her attending an “Antebellum party” surfaced.

•

Acho’s role in the franchise will not continue after the “After the Final Rose” special. The Bachelorette, another show in the franchise, will be hosted by former Bachelorette contestants Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe. The host for the next season of The Bachelor is yet to be decided.

•

Acho formerly played football with the Philadelphia Eagles but now works as the co-host of Speak for Yourself on Fox Sports 1 with Marcellus Wiley. Acho is also the author of bestselling book Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man and the host of a web series with the same name.

Sources: NBC News, The Washington Post REPORTING Axel Icazbalceta PHOTO Courtesy Emmanuel Acho

BROAD CAREER Before becoming a best-selling author and television host, Acho was recruited to play football at the University of Texas at Austin. After he graduated from UT, he joined the NFL and played on the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants.

Art

Art and the internet

AR K M W AT ER

FA KE

™

n early March of this year, an art collage in the form of a JPG file format sold for $69 million. This auction represents only one in a growing trend of similar non-fungible token (NFT) sales where a unique digital file is sold to a sole authorized owner. While copies of the image might be found elsewhere, there is only one true version of the artwork. Since the advent of the internet, authenticity and monetization of artwork has become muddled and a topic of controversy. Arguments sprout between consumers who just want to consume the product as cheaply as possible and companies trying to generate as much revenue as possible. So how has the digital age changed art? Indie singer and songwriter Conner Youngblood ‘08, who debuted his first album Cheyenne in 2018, believes that developing attention and awareness is of utmost importance, no matter where it originates. “It’s just all about how the more people listening, the better,” Youngblood said. “I think labels have tried to crack down on that, but as an artist who isn’t thinking like a label, I really don’t mind if a thousand different YouTube channels want to upload a song of mine. I’d just hope it would reach more people and eventually make its way back to me when it came to touring or Spotify.”

ALBUM Youngblood’s debut album “Cheyenne,”: which he released in August 2018, featuring 13 songs and “no less than 30 instruments.”

Youngblood values special recognition even more than the money he could gain from pursuing copyright infringement claims. “Sometimes, the right amount of exposure is worth more than certain amounts of money,” Youngblood said. “If it leads people to follow me through social media channels, buy tickets or purchase

the next album, I’ll take listeners through any avenue as long as they end up coming to my channel by the end of it.” All Youngblood wants is for people to enjoy what he makes and become interested in his work. How people find his work matters less. He knows that there are many other ways to make money other than relying solely on the sale of music, so he sees nothing wrong with listening to his music, even if it’s purated. “In the same way that I was okay with YouTubers uploading my tracks, I think I’d be okay with people pirating my songs, as long as they enjoyed it and it led them to listen to my next thing and become fans,” Youngblood Conner said. “It is a sad Youngblood reality, but at this ‘08 Singerpoint, I’ve kind of songwriter given up on the idea of making money through the actual selling or streaming of music. For me, making money through music comes from different avenues of licensing, touring or merchandise, sponsors with different companies or partnerships.” For senior photographer Jerry Zhao, counterfeiting is not one of his primary concerns regarding his photography. Instead, stealing ideas and approaches to a photo bothers him more. “I don’t think that I’m at the point that I need to worry about counterfeiting, so it’s not that big of a deal to me right now,” Zhao said. “However, unlike counterfeiting, I do care a lot about intellectual property. I feel that copying my concept is more hurtful. Something that clearly has no originality just makes me sad and angry. If others come up with the same concept but with different photos, all the power to them, but when both the concept and the photos are copied, something is wrong.” Counterfeiting is one of his lesser worries, but Zhao acknowledges that many of his peers have trouble dealing with it. “It definitely makes the issue matter a lot more to me because I know how much work artists put into their pieces,” Zhao said. “Compared to others, I’m decently laid back about piracy and that whole process, but I do know some people that absolutely hate it.” Marc Dominus ‘71, who started to paint professionally in 2018, hasn’t given much thought to eliminating piracy because of his limited time and experience in the field. He just hopes that others enjoy his work and images.

“I have not, up to this point, been particularly protective of the images. I think that’s because I’m new to this and probably naive,” Dominus said. “Part of me thinks that if someone wants to download one of my images, good for them. If someone wants to be around one of my images, Marc that’s why I create Dominus ‘71 them. I don’t have Artist any rigid controls that would allow me to block people securely from downloading, and I certainly don’t have any kind of technological way to track who’s doing the downloading and then track where those images go beyond that.”

NEW ERA As illegal reproduction of art on the internet persists, it has become more and more difficult to verify the validity of a piece of art. This is the problem non-fungible tokens (NFTs) solved.

The ReMarker • April 16, 2021

Culture

As the digital age transforms how people consume art, creators take new measures to ensure their work’s integrity and consumers seek the cheapest option available.

Poetry

After winning the Texas Poetry Out Loud competition, junior Sam Eluemunoh has his sights on greater heights. Page 16

Ramadan

A look into a student’s experience of balancing religious and academic responsibilities during Islam’s holiest month. Page 17

Play

How do you put on a play in the middle of a pandemic? The Fine Arts Department knows how. Page 18

In brief

ORCHESTRA The Upper School Orchestra is planning its usual spring concert later this month. In addition, all orchestra members are preparing a small chamber group project for a performance after the spring concert. The project will consist of smaller groups of two to four players, each playing one piece.

ART Dominus’ piece entitled “Boxed In,” one of two pieces which he sold to BTS member V for $450 in September 2018.

Even so, Dominus recognizes the concerns of pirating in the painting world. He is mainly troubled about pirated prints of his original artwork instead of copied renditions. “I think the issue comes more along the lines of the digital reproductions,” Dominus said. “I sell a large number of prints, signed and numbered prints. It would not be particularly difficult for someone to download or even take a photograph of a screen and, with the proper printing equipment and paper, reproduce that print without my involvement. That does affect me.” STORY Axel Icazbalceta, Morgan Chow GRAPHIC Axel Icazbalceta PHOTOS Courtesy Marc Dominus, Connner Youngblood

CERAMICS Seniors Mustafa Latif and Colin Bajec were accepted into the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) K-12 Exhibition. Latif also won the Bailey Pottery Award, the Hyperglaze Software Award and the Honorable Mention Award. Bajec was awarded the 2021 Bailey Pottery Award, the Dennis Maza Memorial Scholarship and the Jack Troy Award. In addition, junior Brett Honaker won first in ceramics in the Young American Talent awards. Awards are given by individuals and companies within the ceramics field. DEBATE Juniors Max Chuang and Zayn Bhimani reached the quaterfinals in the Heart of Texas Invitational debate tournament, which the school hosted March 27-29. Freshmen Alex Pan, Ashrit Manduva, Kevin Lu and Liam Seaward reached the quarter finals in the JV division. More than 650 students from over 20 states participated in the event. The varsity team next competed at the National Debate Coaches Association (NDCA) national championships April 10-12. ISAS The Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS) Fine Arts Festival, originally scheduled to begin April 8, was cancelled due to safety concerns caused by COVID-19. In its place, the Young American Art Exhibit, which showcased pieces made by students from across the DFW area, took place April 3. A schoolrun Spring Arts Showcase was considered to replace the ISAS Festival, but each fine art head will instead present their work throughout the spring.

Out of place, out of touch Chemistry instructor Cristina Macaraeg reflects on her experience trying to fit in as a Filipino-American and how the community can grow together to make a better America.

he daughter of Filipino immigrants, chemistry instructor Cristina Macaraeg said she hasn’t feared for herself in light of recent events, but she’s been more concerned with her family’s safety. “I noticed that a lot of the attacks were on the elderly,” Macaraeg said, “so I was worried about my parents in Oklahoma. They don’t go out very much anyway because of the pandemic, but those few times when they go to the grocery store, to Walmart you have to wonder what might happen.” Growing up in a community where Macaraeg felt it necessary “to not stand out,” she said certain aspects of the surge in hate crimes have surprised her more than others. “The violence against the Asian American community has always been there,” Macaraeg said, “but I think it’s more overt now. There’s always been some sort of aggression towards Asian Americans, but now, it’s so much more violent. The man who got cut across the face. The women in Chinatown. The men who were beaten in the face. I just don’t understand it.” never received a talk about growing up as an Asian American, but as she’s grown up, Macaraeg said she’s learned that “blending in” isn’t a possibility. “What I’ve discovered over the years is that as an Asian American, you’re never going to look like you’re from here,” Macaraeg said. “It’s important to understand that and go from there. I’m never going to look like I’m necessarily from here.”

On a broader level, Macaraeg said the nation’s history with Asian countries in general has allowed for the situation at hand. From racially driven 20th century immigration laws to the “rhetoric that’s been all over the place in the last year,” Macaraeg said the surge has been upsetting but not unexpected. “The U.S. has a long history of ‘othering’ have a whole colonial history in the Philippines, for example, and that doesn’t Cristina Macaraeg

Chemistry like this happens in America, instructor it’s not all that surprising for the Asian American community that’s aware of that history.” And in speaking of the Asian American community, Macaraeg was quick to point out that the group isn’t just Filipino-Americans like her parents or Chinese- or Japanese-Americans, an important distinction in her eyes as she looks towards the future. “When you say Asian Americans, it’s such a huge community,” Macaraeg said. “It’s including

that umbrella term, and in light of everything that’s happened in the last year, there’s this community feeling now that we all have to be together — work

The Lineup

See a few of the over dozen speakers from the recent Stop Asian Hate rallies

Nap Pempena • Filipino-American activist for the Malaya Movement • Member of Dallas Anti-War Comittee • Organizes and helps Filipino migrant workers in the United States

Christine Lee • Chinese-American and Women’s rights activist • Lead speaker for Stop Asian Hate Dallas rally

Jonas Park • Organizer for Dallas Stop Asian Hate rally • Former city council candidate • Local business owner, photographer and yoga instructor

prejudice.”

The March 16 Atlanta shooting brought decades of anti-Asian racism into the spotlight. Hear the stories, struggles and lessons of Asian American community members from across Dallas. *Continued from page 1

STORIES Siddhartha Sinha, Luke Piazza, Jamie Mahowald, Robert Pou, Sai Thirunagari PHOTOS Collin Katz, Sai Thirunagari

Leveling the playing field As the U.S. pushes harmful stereotypes on Asian Americans, Chinese language instructor Janet Lin explains how daily life and work are different just because of her last name.

orn and raised in Taiwan, Chinese language instructor Janet Lin has lived in the United States with her husband for

she found herself restricted from available job opportunities, even though she had worked several successful years as a journalist in Taiwan. Since she was young, she said, she had always wanted to “tell the truth,” but her limited avenues for following that goal. “If you have a resume with the last name Lin or a last name Smith, who do you think can

in Chinese, because it's good for the brain to learn a new language to communicate with more people.” Even though she has lived and taught here for two decades, recent violence against Asian Americans has forced her to act more carefully within her own country. “Now, I feel unsafe,” Lin said. “Even going grocery shopping, I feel I need more protection. I'm supposed to have a right to go everywhere I want to. I've been living for 20 years, and people want me to go home. My home is here. I pay taxes, I contribute whatever I need to, I don't do any illegal things. We didn't come here to use your social security. We do the right thing.” A lack of proper education is often at the root

of the incidents of racism she has experienced, teenager using a racial slur against her. “One day, I was outside, and I was walking in the park,” Lin said, “and one young man was riding a motorcycle, and he stopped and called me ‘Asian pig,’ right to my face. So I said, time. And then he said, ‘You can call me white trash. I don't care.’ And I said back to him, ‘I'm an educated person. I don't say those kinds of words. You should go back to school to learn the proper way.’” For Lin, the general attitude for Asian Americans –– even second, third or fourth generation Asian Janet Lin Americans –– is that Chinese language hard work is the key to instructor reaching equal footing with the rest of the populace, leading to a widespread culture of stress and modesty. “Since I was young, we’ve been trending that way,” Lin said. “My ABC [American-Born Chinese] students, they always think, ‘I'm not good enough. I'm not good enough.’ And I say no. You have to tell yourself that you're good enough to stay in St. Mark's, you're good enough with your other friends here. But we've been trained to think that we always have to do more

to be equal.” Despite the encouragement she gives her students, Lin often feels the same way. “I'm working more hours and putting more “To the majority, we feel like we need to do more, because we don't feel like we have the same opportunity. I have to work harder to show my colleagues or my boss that I'm good at my job.” Additionally, Lin believes Asian Americans are often trained toward humility and away from confrontation, leading to a cultural unwillingness to report incidents of violence to authorities –– though this hesitancy comes from a lack of action by police departments as well. “We don't report a lot of our cases to the police, because we don't want to go to the police,” Lin said. “So I'm thinking this time we should stand up and have our voice. In the incident in front of my house when the guy called me those bad words, I didn't report it, because I didn’t believe the police could do anything.” But just as education was the pitfall of those perpetrating racism in the country, Lin hopes that education can lead people out of racism as well. “I don't think people should have a stereotype or prejudgment for every person,” Lin said, “because you should know the people. But because education helps you guys to have this kind of open mind.”

By the

numbers

149

percent increase in anti-Asian hatecrimes nationally in 2020

100

percent increase in anti-Asian hatecrimes in Dallas in 2020

percent decrease in total hatecrimes nationally in 2020

125

percent increase in anti-Asian hateful language on Twitter in 2020 Source: Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, CSUSB

Their response

Here are three Asian-American seniors’ comments on their experiences during this rise in anti-Asian hatred in the U.S. Daniel Wu Even after Senior of COVID, Chinese we’re still living descent

in America. That hasn’t gone away completely, and it’s been 160-plus years. It always will be like that, and I feel like it probably will stick around for a while. I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Ryan Park Senior of South Korean descent

I saw a series of posts where people were saying stuff like, “Asians are people too,” and I thought, Was I not a person before? You don’t go around fighting Asian racism by saying Asians are humans too. You fight it by educating people on the real issues.

Matthew Ho Senior of Taiwanese descent

Local voices take action On March 27, the day after the newly announced Stop Asian Hate Day, the community rallied together to call for action from all groups within the Dallas area. than a year now, but it’s not just a Chinese interest because when you attack, you kick you. You think instead, ‘You’re a little

Islander — discrimination that America had swept under the rug. immigration law in the Page Act of 1875 that banned Chinese women from entering the US to today’s myth of Asian Americans being the “model-minority,” the mistreatment of AAPI’s in America has been long-running problem — until today. Today America has found three new anti-Asian hate crimes in the US: Stop Asian Hate. Korean American activist Jonas Park organized the Dallas Stop Asian Hate protest in reaction to the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes in the news. He recalls his own experiences of discrimination in the past, when a man insulted him with a racial epithet. a ‘Chinese eggroll,’” Park said. “I told him I was so embarrassed. One thing we don’t talk about in the Asian community in general is if something happens, it must be my fault. I must have done something. I said, ‘Oh, I’m not Chinese.’ I didn’t know what else to do.” Park, however, believes he reacted incorrectly in that incident, as he says that distinguishing himself as being Korean American rather than Chinese does not reform the views of anti-Asian racists. Park said. “There’s the anti-Chinese movement, and it has been going on more

look like Chinese, I’m going to attack you.’” Park eventually decided to run for city council in District 2, but he quickly met with resistance in the community on account of his Asian background, receiving messages saying that Park was a “Chinese ambassador,” “Trump will get you” and even “You’re just an Asian guy with broken

“I’m worried about my safety these days,” Pempena said. “I haven't experienced any anti-Asian incidents towards me in the past year, but it is becoming more and more of a possibility with the prevalence across the U.S. Texas has the fourth largest number of anti-Asian hate crimes in the U.S., so it is worrying thinking about the safety of my family and of my community.” Both Pempena and Park view Sinophobia — anti-Chinese sentiment — as a factor in the resurgence of hate crimes against Asians.

for city council.” Park dropped out of the city council been Sinophobia mixed up with historic, race to take care of his general anti-Asian hate,” single aunt who struggles Pempena. “That’s part of The people who are with dementia but felt — at the very basic level, getting attacked are optimistic about what the the interpersonal level the elderly with little power. That’s what makes me angry. — racism in mistaking other council candidates If you’re going to attack, would achieve when one ethnicity for another attack me — somebody who without bothering to elected. can fight back. “After several other care about the cultural Jonas Park, candidates joined in, I Stop Asian Hate Organizer felt one of them would people as subhuman. be a good candidate,” Park said. “To me, being a good councilperson is being a ramped up the generic anti-Asian hate representation, being a voice of the people that's been occurring in this country.” with no voice. I like to be more in the Pempena turns to education as a background. I like to lift other people up potential solution to combat anti-Asian and bring people together, so what I’m sentiment. really hoping is that the person who will be “I think part of what produces hate is getting elected will be a really good one so ignorance, especially systemic ignorance,” that I can support their agenda.” Pempena said. “Depriving Asian American Protester Nap Pempena feels concerned children of their Asian American history is for himself and other members of the AAPI one form of injustice. I would like to see a community. Pempena immigrated to the future here in Texas where Asian American U.S. from the Philippines when he was a history is taught in K to 12 and where teenager and used his background to speak ethnic studies is a requirement to be able to the crowd from the perspective of a to graduate from college. Those are basic Filipino American activist. things that need to be done here.”

Putting racism into context — with words from an expert Dr. Hiroki Takeuchi is an associate professor of political science at Southern Methodist University. He spoke to The ReMarker on his views of racism against Asian Americans. Hiroki Takuechi

‘

We need education on how much we benefit from connecting to the world. Not just to China to Asian countries in general, which are some of the most vibrant and active economic place in the world now. The U.S. has benefitted from interactions with Asia. Our residents benefit from interactions with Asia — economic, cultural, popular, any interactions. ••• There is a so-called “model minority myth.” Asian Americans tend to be quiet, even if they are dissatisfied. Seek the solution first

by yourself before complaining about it or asking the solution to other people. That’s a stereotype, but at the same time, it captures a certain aspect of the truth. Asians tend to be educated in that way, so that may cause the lack of movement to protect Asian Americans’ rights compared to other ethnic minorities. ••• Asian Americans do not share any language. Black people share English, Hispanic people share Spanish by definition. But

Japanese and Chinese are totally different languages, Korean is a totally different language. That is disadvantageous to create any kind of social movement. ••• If the victims are other ethnic minorities, the setup is that it is racially motivated unless we find strong evidence to consider it not. But if the victims are Asians, then the default setup is that this may not be racially motivated, unless we find strong enough evidence that should classify it as racially motivated.

The ReMarker • April 16, 2021

ast year the world cried out with just three words: Black Lives Matter. Almost a year later, the Atlanta

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Perspectives

I live in Plano, which has a very high density of all kinds of Asian Americans. Even in the orchestra, there is a lot of Asian Americans. I’ve been privileged to live in a bubble.

POETRY

On top of the state

Three years after first pursuing an interest in poetry, junior Sam Eluemunoh not only emerged victorious in the school competition but also took the crown at the state level.

fter countless hours spent perfecting his performances, junior Sam Eluemunoh is finally ready to submit his entry. After a couple months of anxiously waiting, Eluemunoh sits down at his computer to watch the announcement of the results. His mentor, Christine Nicolette-Gonzalez, watches live from her own home like many other viewers as the results are announced. Pride wells up inside. Then, something else wells up. Tears. Those same tears would stream down his parents’ faces as they hear that Eluemunoh’s years of working on poetry have finally taken him to the top of the state. Next, he’s off to nationals.

April 16, 2021

Culture

The ReMarker

Before finding his passion for poetry, Eluemunoh had built a relationship with Nicolette-Gonzalez, who would eventually help connect Sam to this interest. “I started working with Sam when he was a freshman,” Nicolette-Gonzalez said. “Throughout the last three years I’ve assisted him with his English skills, but I’ve also gotten to know him as a human being. I feel a special kinship with him.” Nicolette-Gonzalez picked up on Eluemunoh’s unique talent in poetry early on in their work together, a talent which would eventually drive Sam to a spot in the national competition, where he’ll be competing with Poetry Out Loud students from all around the country. “When we started learning poetry, I learned very quickly that he wasn’t afraid of it,” NicoletteGonzalez said. “When we read poems out loud he seemed to understand them, and he read them with such beauty. When he was assigned to find a poem to recite for the Poetry Out Loud competition, I said, ‘Samuel, I know you’re a freshman, but you really have potential to do well in this competition.’” Using one of her connections in the literary world, Nicolette-Gonzalez linked Eluemunoh with another artist, helping to spark Sam’s passion for poetry. “I’m very fortunate to be close friends with Tim Seibles, who is a pretty famous poet,” NicoletteGonzalez said. “Right after Samuel picked one of Tim’s poems to memorize freshman year, I introduced them to each other, and they ended up emailing each other. Tim even sent a signed copy of one of his latest books to Sam, and I suspect that was one of the most important things that happened prior to that competition. All of a sudden, poetry came to life for Sam in a way that it hadn’t before.”

NO AUDIENCE For this year’s Poetry Out Loud state competition, candidates were required to record and submit videos of their performances as pictured above instead of performing in front of a live audience like usual. This new format added a different layer to the competition, causing Eluemunoh to focus more on showing his emotions toward the poem.

Participating in the annual Poetry Out Loud competition at school soon became an opportunity calling Eluemunoh’s name. One of the first steps in preparing for the competition is choosing the poem, a task that takes more consideration than one might think. “It’s a strategy that I’ve done since last year, where I pick a poem that I can show that I’m really energized or really passionate,” Eluemunoh said, “and another poem that can show a little bit more of a sensitive side of myself. The third poem is always one that’s supposed to be heartfelt, or really try to get someone’s heart to feel something.” I definitely will do competitions in the future, but poetry will always have some special place in my heart. I just have to see what happens. Sam Eluemunoh, Junior

After winning first place in this year’s school competition, Eluemunoh advanced to the next stage: state. Given the circumstances surrounding the pandemic, the state competition took place virtually, requiring all candidates to submit videos of their performances. When the time came, students, family members and colleagues from all around Texas tuned into the virtual event. “I knew I was a finalist, but I didn’t tell my dad,” Eluemunoh said. “My dad was downstairs while I was upstairs. They had played our poems, and they called the runner-up. Her name was Elizabeth Barnes, and she had actually won state last year, so, as soon as I saw her name as a runner-up,

Senior creates new band playing different genre by Eric Yoo enior Collin Katz has started a new band called Trezr. After his last band, Fifth Phoenix, broke up, he and the bassist created their own band. “It’s a three-piece band,” Katz said. “It’s me, our bassist and a singer. The bassist is the same from Fifth Phoenix, so after Fifth Phoenix broke up, we still wanted to do music and continue putting out original songs. He knew a good singer who went to Parish and we met up, and it went well.” With school taking up a lot of time, Katz has to manage his time in order to keep up and continue recording music. “We’ll meet up two or three times during the week,” Katz said. “And then at least once or twice

on the weekend. Every day after school I’m teaching and tutoring, so after I get done teaching, I’ll go record with the band and then get home at like 11:30 or 12 sometimes. That’s when I start my homework, so it’s kind of a grind sometimes.” His new band is only three people, so they do not have a drummer. Because of this, they make a different genre of music from his previous band. “We are doing pop music,” Katz said. “First, because we do not have a drummer, but also because it will give us good traction and the exposure we need if we want to take this far. We record mainstream pop with a little bit of R&B and soul influence. The music is a lot more chill and laid back compared to our last band.”

Katz and the other members create songs from scratch in their bassist’s recording studio. “Normally we start with our singer showing us lyrics that he has written down in his journal,” Katz said. “Once we have the lyrics, we begin to hear the melody and chord progression and start to lay down instruments using our recording software. We continue to build until we have a final product that we like.” Katz plans to continue with the band over the summer and into next year. “Unless something crazy happens, I will still dedicate as much time as I can to the band,” Katz said. “I am still deciding if I want to take a gap year, but even in college, we will still continue to record and play music together.”

I was like, ‘I might win this.’ Then my dad started screaming downstairs, and I didn’t know how to react because it was on Zoom, but I was definitely in my head like, ‘Finally.’” After his state victory, the school community met Eluemunoh with even more support and commendation for his success back on campus. “Honestly, the most memorable thing about winning is just how much people have told me congratulations for it,” Eluemunoh said. “That’s been really nice hearing people say, ‘Great job on this,’ because usually some things like poetry are not really seen as exciting. St. Mark’s has a different culture with stuff like that.” Throughout the process of pursuing this newfound passion, Eluemunoh has discovered more about his own character and attitude towards others. “Part of the reason why I feel like I have a good way of expressing emotion in those poems is because I try to put myself in them,” Eluemunoh said. “I found out I’m really empathetic with certain things.” Nicolette-Gonzalez has also noticed a growth in Eluemunoh’s development, both as a student and a young man. “This year, Samuel did most of his work independently from me, and he was able to win state,” Nicolette-Gonzalez said. “His potential is just exploding, and I could not be more proud of him. He is a remarkable young man, and I just hope and pray that he’ll continue to use his voice and his passion in a way that will affect positive change in the world.” STORY Will Pechersky, Ian Dalrymple PHOTO Courtesy Sam Eluemunoh

. Eluemunoh’s poetry track record School competitions

Freshman year: School runner-up Poem selection: Blade, Unplugged by Tim Seibles Sophomore year: Finished first in school competition Poem selection: Faith by Tim Seibles State: Competitor, but did not place State selection: God’s Grandeur by Gerard Manley Hopkins and Blade, Unplugged by Tim Seibles

State competition

Recited American Sonnet for My Past and Future Assassin by Terrance Hayes, I Am Offering This Poem by Jimmy Santiago Baca and The Cross of Snow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. All state poems were performed for nationals For state competition: Eluemunoh had to submit all three poems, a waving video, two introduction videos, two videos talking about experience with POL and a poem asking a poet a question.

National competition

The Poetry Out Loud national competition will be conducted virtually. Eluemunoh was required to record and submit videos of his performances by March 31. All candidates submitted videos, each with a different poem. Results will be revealed in May.

RAMADAN

Sun up to sun down

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As the fourth quarter begins, senior Mustafa Latif prepares for his observance of Ramadan.

or most students this year, the spring brings the school year to a close. Final and AP exams approach, the last long weekend sees itself out and people across campus prepare for the final push toward summer. And for senior Mustafa Latif, however, something else arrives. That something is Ramadan, the monthlong holiday where Muslims fast, pray and reflect on themselves.

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Senior Daniel Wu posts art on his Instagram: @sm2021_wu_art. Here, he gives a look at the inspiration behind some of his pieces.

This first one is special and meaningful to me not necessarily for the content, but because it was the first project I used spray paint on. I mixed acrylic into this piece to sharpen the figures as well as create added detail to the textures created by the spray paint. I really enjoyed working in this media and hope to create a larger piece in the future.

The third one, titled Hidden Perception, attempts to draw attention to the “fake face” people usually put forth. I found this piece especially meaningful as I was able to create a painting in which I felt like I had successfully exposed and illustrated the ups and downs everyone experiences daily.

I really enjoyed working on this second piece as it was my first “big” painting. The piece aims to represent the fractures and imperfections of reality. I used a dark color palette and extreme imagery to emphasize the violent and difficult nature of life.

The fourth is titled Checkmate. This was the first work I had created that required a level of nuance to understand. The piece aims to communicate the feeling of isolation and hopelessness through more familiar and concrete structures (the chess board and pieces).

17 The ReMarker

this discipline comes from the abstinence from the These goals can vary for each person. For Latif, necessities of survival. It helps us understand our the Qur’an played a large part. dependence on God. Without food and drink for 14 “Last year I attempted to read the entire Qur’an or 15 hours of the day, you understand and you’re in 30 days,” Latif said. “I couldn’t accomplish that thankful for the blessings that God has given you. goal, but this year I’ve been reading it for 10 to 15 Without him, we wouldn’t have food or drink or Mustafa minutes every day after school since Latif any of that.” January. My family has also watched Senior The fasting extends well beyond just food a lecture series on the Qur’an, about and water. 20-30 minutes a day. It helps us not “Ramadan is also about attaining piety,” just know what it means, but it also Latif said. “Fasting isn’t only abstaining from helps us understand how to apply food and drink, it’s also attempting to avoid sins. that to our lives.” Sins also break and invalidate the fast.” Latif says that it is important to understand all aspects Besides sins, Latif says that getting rid of any of Ramadan, beyond going without food and drink. distraction is an important part of fasting. “A lot of people, when they think of Ramadan, “We also try to remove all distractions,” Latif they think of fasting and just not eating food or said. “We stopped watching TV and movies because water,” Latif said. “It’s more than that, and a lot they hinder your ability to obtain that spirituality. of people don’t understand why we do it. It is to It leaves more time after school for praying and attain that piety to get a closer relationship with working toward my goals. It isn’t really about God. I think that relationship is what needs to be becoming a perfect Muslim, it’s just about being highlighted. We grow it by avoiding food and drink, a better Muslim than the year before. In setting but the relationship is the main focus.” achievable goals, we can come out having taken something out of Ramadan and having increased our STORY Ian Dalrymple, Eric Yoo GRAPHIC Jonathan Yin spirituality.”

April 16, 2021

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Latif has to rework his schedule to account for the customs. “I have to wake up a lot earlier than I normally do By the since we fast from sunrise to numbers sunset,” Latif said. “I wake up about half an hour earlier than I normally do to eat a large breakfast and drink a lot of billion water.” Muslims worldwide Latif says that, while this does affect his daily life, it isn’t an enormous challenge. “Sometimes I tend to lose billion energy throughout the day,” Latif Muslims said. “Most of the time, it’s not a fast during problem because I’m used to it. Ramadan Sometimes if I’m playing sports, then I get pretty tired, and I can’t drink water because I’m fasting. percent of Still, overall, it’s alright.” Muslims Latif says that this fasting say they is important because it helps his are more relationship with God. generous “You’re trying to build during Ramadan your spirituality and your discipline,” Latif said. “Building

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PLAY

Springing into action

Amid a year chock-full of unexpected roadblocks, alterations, delays and cancellations, the students and faculty of the school’s drama program have persevered to produce a showing of Treasure Island.

t’s opening night of Treasure Island. The play is about to start. The sound of murmuring and people shifting in their seats dies down as the lights dim. The curtain rises, and the actors walk onstage — with COVID masks on. As the actors for the play go through months of work auditioning and rehearsing for their performance, two important questions remain in their minds: who’s going to be watching? And how much will they be able to see?

April 16, 2021

Culture

The ReMarker

With students being online at seemingly random intervals throughout the year, one of the biggest challenges for Marion Glorioso, director of the spring play Treasure Island, has been the fluctuating schedule and difficulty in organizing actors. “The biggest changes have been that our schedule has been in flux,” Glorioso said, “so there’s been weeks that some actors have been here, there’s been weeks that we haven’t had actors, there’s been weeks that we’ve been remote, so navigating the rehearsal schedule and then having a performance date that we could set for certain — that was the challenge.” Despite the difficulties in this year’s schedule, freshman Graham Estess decided to audition for the leading role in the play in order to broaden his friend group and gain new experiences. “I really wanted to do drama this year, and I wanted to try out for the play because I thought that it would be cool to meet people who are not just in my grade,” Estess said. “So, now, I’m Jim Hawkins in the play.” Working with students like Estess, senior Jack Genender appreciates the work that he gets to do as the stage manager, because it allows him to work with both actors and technical crew. “As the stage manager, I like to think of myself as the bridge Marion between the tech crew Glorioso and the cast because I’m Anthony Vintcent doing work with both,” Fine Arts Genender said. “I’m with Department Chair the actors most of the time during rehearsals, but during the shows I’ll be doing more of a technical thing and making sure everything runs smoothly.” For Glorioso, the most difficult period in the drama production process is the weeks immediately before the play’s release. “One of the toughest parts is the two weeks before the show, when all of the elements of production have to come together,” Glorioso said. “We have to complete the set, the actors need to know their lines backwards and forwards, we’re moving things

TREASURE HUNTING Freshman Graham Estess, junior Cooper Cole and seniors Donovan Graves and Beto Beveridge huddle around a table during a rehearsal. Due to the unavailability of Hockaday students, the program has decided to fill female roles, such as Cole’s role as Mrs. Hawkins — with male actors.

backstage, the lights have to change, the sound is queued and the set has to change. There’s a thousand things going on in a minute, and everyone has to do their part.” Under normal circumstances, the play’s production would be assisted by Hockaday students, but this year, the spring play will be rehearsed and performed without outside help. “Normally, we have Hockaday helping us as well,” Genender said. “Since they are not allowed on campus, that has been a lot of helping hands that we didn’t have this year.” For drama students, the circumstances presented by COVID-19 have made rehearsals different in some ways and required actors to adapt. “It’s a lot harder to perform and practice with masks on since they pretty much cut off half your face,” Estess said. “You have to get all of your emotion with your eyes and your body instead of your face. Also, it’s really hard to enunciate and project your voice with a

From album drops to movie releases and everything in between, here’s what’s on tap in the coming weeks. Albums

STORY Han Zhang, Will Spencer PHOTO Jamie Mahowald

Making a difference

Headliners

Movies

mask on.” Though the students have certainly faced obstacles this year concerning the sanitary changes to campus, Glorioso applauds her students’ response to the new environment. “Our actors have adapted beautifully,” Glorioso said. “At this point everyone’s accustomed to wearing a mask, so they haven’t had to change anything. They’ve adapted well to the masks because they’re actors, and they want to be here. They want to put in the effort.” Despite the changes in the school’s circumstances, Glorioso asserts that the drama program will always have one goal. “No matter what, it’s always the same goal for me,” Glorioso said. “Each show has a different tone, a different mood and a different look, but the goal is always to take the audience on an adventure.”

Go Lions!

Videogames

Piers Hurley, CFA® Sr Vice President--Wealth Mgmt 214-965-6128 UBS Financial Services Inc. 100 Crescent Court Dallas, TX 75201-6900 214-220-0400 888-430-5579

Vanquish

April 16

Mortal Kombat

April 23

Trigger Point

April 23

Separation

April 30

The Battle at Garden’s Gate, Greta Van Fleet

April. 16

Nurture, Porter Robinson

April 23

Blood Bunny, Chloe May 7 Moriondo High Dive, SHAED

May 14

Ashwalkers

April 15

Judgement

April 23

Total War: Rome April 29 Remastered Returnal

ubs.com/fa/piershurley

April 30

MORE PREDICTIONS

OSCARS PREDICTIONS

The Oscars: better late than never

Our film experts preview Best Director and Best Supporting Actor/Actress:

We asked three of the school’s biggest movie buffs — senior Aaryan Puri, junior Thomas Philip and sophomore Blake Backes — about their predictions for who’s taking home Oscar gold. The ceremony, set April 25, is one of the latest in Academy history.

Best Director

Best Picture

Chloé Zhao

Philip: Nomadland Puri: Judas and the Black Messiah

How to watch

The “Red Carpet” preevent will air at 6:30 p.m., also on ABC.

Leslie Odom Jr.

Philip: ”I’ve only seen One Night in Miami and Leslie Odom Jr. was really good. But ultimately, I think that either Lakeith Stanfield or Daniel Kaluuya, both from Judas and Black Messiah, are going to win. I think they both have a lot of hype around them. Puri: ”I have Leslie Odom Jr. in One Night in Miami winning this one.

For the first time, the show will originate in two locations in Los Angeles: the Dolby Theater and the iconic LA Union Station. This is to allow distancing procedures brought about by the pandemic.

Supporting Actress

Best Actress Backes: Frances McDormand (Nomadland)

Amanda Seyfried

Philip: ”I think it’s pretty funny that Maria Bakalova got nominated for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, but she was indeed very good in that movie. If I had to make a prediction, I think Amanda Seyfried in Mank will take it home.”

Philip: Frances McDormand Puri: Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)

Another note is that none of these films won best picture, only the actor category. He has also won in the past, so that helps.” Philip: ”I think Chadwick Boseman is definitely gonna win his posthumous Oscar. He was really good in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and he gave a very passionate performance, probably the best of his career. It’s also really cool that Riz Ahmed and Steven Yuan got nominated because they were both really good, and it’s cool to see a lot of diversity in the category.” Puri: ”I am a huge Gary Oldman fan, but I think what’s most notable here is Riz Ahmed is the first Muslim in the best actor category for Sound of Metal. Sadly the passing of Chadwick Boseman also makes this a very sad and difficult year for the Oscars and the film community, but I think I’m going to give this one to Gary Oldman for Mank.”

Backes: “Frances McDormand has also won in the past. She’s very famous, and Nomadland has several nominations. She has won this category from different festivals, and she is also an actor playing against her type. Just like Anthony Hopkins, she has been around for a very long time. I believe her first major film was Blood Simple with the Coen brothers in 1984. Anthony Hopkins has also been around since the ‘80s. So, compared to someone relatively new, such as Carey Mulligan, whose first major role was probably Pride and Prejudice in 2006 or The Great Gatsby in 2013, Frances McDormand has a bigger chance of getting [Best Actress] just because she’s been in the public perception for longer.

Interviews Trevor Crosnoe, Myles Lowenberg, Darren Xi

Best Actor

Backes: Anthony Hopkins (The Father) Philip: Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) Puri: Gary Oldman (Mank)

McDormand also has connections with the Coen brothers because she’s married to Joel Coen, and the Coen brothers have won several awards including Best Picture for No Country for Old Men and several nominations in years past, so she’s very well known in the industry.” Philip: “I think Frances McDormand from Nomadland is going to win. She gave a performance I think only she could have given because of where she is in her career and what the movie is about. I also think that Viola Davis did a good job in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Puri: “I definitely think Viola Davis in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is going to win this one. She was great in her role, and I feel like she deserves this Oscar.”

The ReMarker

The Oscars will be televised live Sunday, April 25, beginning at 7 p.m. Central time on ABC.

Backes: “For Best Actor, I believe that Anthony Hopkins is going to win in The Father. To begin, Nomadland is not nominated in that category, and many voters nominate their second picks for Best Picture in categories besides it to give them some type of compensation. You can see this with a lot of different films winning sometimes the most awards in the night, but then losing Best Picture, and some Academy members going on interviews to say that a lot of times they might give a film an advantage if it’s not the same as their best picture. Also in The Father, Anthony Hopkins is an actor stepping outside of his usual cast type. You can think of when this happened in the past, last year with Joaquin Phoenix in Joker, Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody, Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea, Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant and Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club.

Buzz

Supporting Actor

Backes: Nomadland

the movies were on streaming platforms which means many more people can watch them. My two favorite movies this year were Minari and Nomadland, and Minari I would definitely recommend to everyone; it’s a great family movie. It’s very relatable, especially how Asian-Americans fit into the American dream and American upbringing. If you like slower movies that have a grand theme, then I think that Nomadland is for you. It really takes its time, but it tells us a very relevant story about American workers who are just trying to get by during the recession. But ultimately, I think Nomadland is going to win.” Puri: “I think that the winner will be Judas and the Black Messiah. I think it was a great film, but I feel that Tenet was snubbed in this category. I thought Tenet was an exceptional film, and I wish that it got more than a couple nominations.”

April 16, 2021

Philip: ”I think that Chloé Zhao is going to take it home for Nomadland, which is cool because she’s gonna be the second female director ever to win Best Director after Kathryn Bigelow won in 2010. I feel that it’s very deserving for her because of the way she shot the movie. It looks really nice. Although he probably won’t win, I think that Lee Isaac Chung did a great job on Minari because it’s a very autobiographical movie.” Puri: ”I think I’m going to have to go with Chloé Zhao for Nomadland on this one. It was a tough movie to digest. Very, very raw, but also incredibly well made.

Backes: “The themes of Nomadland are about despair, hope and living without direction, and I think that’s especially meaningful in this past year. If you look at recent nominees, many films won Best Picture after a recent social movement that they correlate with. So, I think that having a relevant social commentary can really help a film win. Nomadland also has a streaming advantage. It’s available on Hulu, whereas films like The Father, Minari and Promising Young Woman are only available in inperson theatres, rental screeners or limited film runs. Nomadland has American starpower with Frances McDormand and nominations in the three main technical categories, Best Director, Best Writer and Best Screenplay, as well as having a lead actress nomination.” Philip: ”I thought that, overall, this was a weak year for movies. But one good thing was that this year, almost all

Opinions

The ReMarker • April 16, 2021

Speakers

The Editorial Board recommends a broader slate of chapel speakers. Page 21

Where To

Managing Editor Sid Sinha grapples with a cultural dilemma. Page 22

Wrestling

Brand Editor Cooper decision to end Stanford wrestling. Page 22

A short SOLUTION

A vaccine worth the shot Despite uncertainty about the vaccine, extensive trials have proven its safety beyond doubt—no matter the manfacturer. Though a sizable fraction of students have already been vaccinated, we urge all eligible students to register for a vaccine as soon as possible. The closer our community can come to achieving some level of “herd immunity,” the sooner large events such as Spring Fling and Commencement will go back to their preCOVID-19 forms. We understand the potential hesitancy to receive a vaccine that was created so quickly, but, given the vast safety measures in place and the benefits that a vaccinated population will present to our school, state and country, we urge everyone who can get a vaccine to do so as soon as possible.

EDITORIAL

THE FIGHT Demonstrators advocate for gun control following the StonemanDouglass shootings in early 2018.

It’s time to pull the trigger on gun control A Ruger AR-556 is assembled in a 300,000 sq. ft. facility in Newport, NH. It retails for $900, has a 10.5 inch barrel and can fire 30 rounds in just under five seconds. In a February earnings call, Ruger CEO Christopher Killoy said that it had found “widespread popularity.” What Killoy didn’t mention is that the AR-556 is regulated by the National Firearms Act and the Gun Control Act—passed 83 and 49 years, respectively, before the gun ever hit the market. So perhaps it’s not all that surprising that in March a Ruger AR-556 was used to kill ten people in a Boulder, CO grocery store just six days after it was purchased. Or that a week before in Georgia — a state where there are less requirements to buy a gun than to register to vote — a gun used to kill eight women in Atlanta was bought just hours before the shootings began. Neither of those tragedies can be blamed on mental health issues alone. Rather, the fact that either shooter was allowed access to firearms in the first place demonstrates that America’s gun control laws are out of date and ineffective. And tragically, that’s been the case for a while. The publication Mother Jones — which defines mass shootings as “indiscriminate rampages in public places resulting in four or more victims killed by the attacker” — has recorded 70 mass shootings since 2011. That’s a staggering number: over three times as many as in the decade before. And it illustrates what has become a uniquely American problem. According to the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, American deaths from gun violence are eight times higher than those in Canada and over 100 times higher than those in the UK. The good news? The numbers in Canada and the UK demonstrate that decreasing gun violence is possible—it just requires stricter limits on access to guns. Here’s our proposals to make that happen: Reinstate the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban Passed after five children were killed in a mass shooting at a school in Cleveland, the 1994 Assault Weapons ban—signed by President Bill Clinton with the support of former presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan—prohibited semi-automatic weapons (guns that automatically reload after

Photo Creative Commons

every shot) with certain features that made them more suited to violent situations. The ban had a 10-year sunset clause, causing it to expire when the Bush administration did not renew it in 2004. Notably, the ban would have prevented the sale of the weapons used in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the Stoneman-Douglass High School shooting and the recent Boulder shooting, among others. A 2019 study showed a 70% drop in mass shootings during the years the ban was in place. Institute Universal Background Checks and a 28-day Waiting Period The “private sale exemption” allows private sellers at gun shows to sell guns to buyers without having to conduct a background check. A universal background check requirement, already implemented in 22 states, would make gun control policy more consistent across the country and would close a major loophole in purchasing a firearm. The 28-day waiting period falls on much the same lines. Currently, there is no federal requirement of a waiting period between the purchase and receipt of a gun. That said, as the recent shootings in Boulder and Atlanta demonstrate, mass shootings are often impulsive, occurring shortly after the purchase of the weapon. A longer waiting period would prevent such actions. Repeal the Dickey Amendment The Dickey Amendment, inserted into the 1996 federal spending bill, effectively prevents the CDC from studying the root causes of gun violence or from publishing studies that promote gun control. While it was clarified in 2018 to give the CDC more latitude when studying those subjects, the amendment still exists, preventing constructive research on gun violence from occurring. Of course, all of these actions require legislation—legislation that’s been attempted many times before. But politics has always been about timing, and now, with a receptive Congress and President, is a better time than ever to advocate for reform that is, quite literally, lifesaving.

Students and teachers should take better advantage of new schedule

s one of the most unconventional years in school history comes to a close, we reflect on the impact the new schedule has had in our community. The new schedule has successfully accomplished a variety of goals — monotony has been decreased, flexibility has been increased and students have seen an improvement in mental health and stress levels. We understand that the new schedule can be more difficult to navigate than the old schedule, especially for faculty who are trying to organize curricula, facilitate assessments and maintain the academic rigor expected on this campus. We also understand that this schedule comes with an arguably

significant reduction in class time and homework capacity, and this reduction has been only amplified by COVID-19 challenges, occasional instances of remote learning and an unexpected week-long winter storm. However, we urge the community to also embrace its benefits as best they can. New 70-minute periods allow for longer, more efficient classes. These periods have increased opportunities for class discussions, in-depth lectures and hands-on projects. Furthermore, we urge teachers to find creative ways to teach the equivalent of two 45-minute periods in one 70-minute period. The addition of office hours in the morning and flex time in the afternoon have resulted in

greater opportunities for club meetings, teacher meetings and out-of-classroom learning. More free periods for students, a later start time and a collective lunch period also increase both spare time and flexibility for Marksmen and teachers, and we urge the entire school community to take advantage of these new opportunities. We hear and understand community concerns and believe they have merit. We urge those with concerns to continue vocalizing them, and we urge administrators to be understanding and sympathetic with faculty and open to reform. However, we maintain that the entire community should recognize and embrace the new schedule’s benefits.

EDITORIAL

Students should suggest guest speakers for chapel Over the many throughout the year, we have noticed a distinct

While we look forward to some fan favorites — such as strength and conditioning coach Kevin Dilworth, Headmaster David Dini and Head of

received almost no interest from students in giving a talk to younger students. While we understand that there may have been

Trials of my Hydroflask

f you see my water bottle lying around, never, ever tell me you’ve “found” it.

we’ve withstood heartbreaks and celebrated of next year.

and Knobel Hunt — or next year’s co-chairs once

climbed every height, seen every sight together.

and staff to begin to consider what talks they

Senior skip day vital to class unity in troubled year

so no, it’s not “lost.” (But if you ever see it lying around,

This COVID-dominated year has certainly

Jamie Mahowald Managing Editor

with a loss of class time while adjusting to a new very distinct).

contribute in the cafeteria.

most of those last few days. the commendable efforts of the school and

the integrity of as many traditions as we can. or couch somewhere, you immediately know enjoyable. We urge administrators to reconsider the date

second-to-last day of the school year for seniors. often comes towards the end of the year during

around when there’s ice in it).

communicate with teachers and the administration to settle on a day that seniors will not come to

much more than just missing a day’s worth of the end-of-year stress together, as a brotherhood.

The Count of Monte Cristo

LETTER TO THE EDITOR count could have been a bit off because of those who hold their office hours in their classrooms (This

water bottle. Things anybody who knows me could hear or see and think of me automatically.

The article’s conclusion seemed to be that a in it might have been a bit inaccurate, most likely because your staff had not thought through a

April 16, 2021

here for you.

working in their classrooms in Hoffman early in

that the vast majority of the rest of the faculty are also extremely conscientious about arriving on time and making themselves available to students during office hours. of which you may not be aware. Thanks for any questions with their teachers. conference with their teachers outside of class hours. —Trustee Master Teacher Lynne Schwartz STUDENTS AND FACULTY

Around the Quad

‘

"Black Widow." I like the way Marvel connects all its movies together in one shared universe. Matthew Wier Sixth Grade

‘

I've been wanting to see a classic—" Clockwork "— in theaters for a while.

‘

Alexander Emery Senior

‘

" vs. King Kong": it's a classic clash of the two titans.

‘

meaning. If you’re a student noticed by now that this is not a school designed

the search for meaning requires that somebody

"The

," because it represents the stage in my life where I think I'm headed next.

Jorge Correa Spanish Instructor

‘

closest friends (and the best assignment editor this

ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS

Q: As theaters begin to reopen, what movie are you looking forward to seeing next?

while holding your harness tightly.

them distinct, and among the greatest gifts of this

in the literary sense. New York Times

" vs. King Kong"—the will be really exciting to see on a big screen.

Hamlet or The Art of War, that you’d give The Godfather or 2001: A Space Odyssey, that you’d owe to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band or Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

Noah Asmerom Sophomore

associate with themselves that makes them distinct.

new James Bond movie, " to Die." I've been waiting for it for a while. side by side.

Warner Harnett Freshman

Harrison Siegel Senior

Opinions

To the editor: I wanted to article on teachers and their use of morning office

Questions for another day

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Glorioso had told me to during rehearsal. button.

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To call Hindi my first language would to when billy goat number two was

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head photographer COLLIN KATZ managing editors JAMIE MAHOWALD HENRY MCELHANEY SIDDHARTHA SINHA opinions editor ALAM ALIDINA perspectives editor LUKE PIAZZA

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according to the scores of uncles and aunties

10600, culture AXEL ICAZBALCETA WILL PECHERSKY

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friends. started emulating.

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I’m not sure how many of my friends have

deputy focus ERIC YOO HAN ZHANG reviews specialist TREVOR CROSNOE

April 16, 2021

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Opinions

sports LUKE NAYFA PETER ORSAK

Creative

there. abroad without trying. Then came the first grade musical, Three of a Kind

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Honestly, it’s what scares me. Because cynically,

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the beginning of the end of Hindi in my family.

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character took center stage, said their line and walked back to their chair.

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Writers

understand enough to hold a conversation for

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before billy goat number one’s turn. But my sister, who was barely walking when two. Hindi.

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audience. Creaking under the collective weight the next song. the left side of the fourth row of the crowd as

choices — now more than ever — are going to

Adviser

RAY WESTBROOK

#savestanfordwrestling

Headmaster DAVID W. DINI

tanford wrestling is one of the most storied,

audience The ReMarker is intended for the students, faculty, staff and alumni community of St. Mark’s School of Texas. Press run is 4,000 copies, with more than 2,600 of those mailed out to alumni around the world, courtesy of the school’s offices of External Affairs, Development and Alumni divisions.

costs. The loss of wrestling is not only the loss of frustratingly vague on the logic behind their decision. The school claims that the cutting of from all walks of life to attend a world-class university.

in the wrestling community scratching their see the loss of such a talented and and the athletic community at large have raised

regulations.

taught me more than any class or lecture. The grit, work ethic and teamwork that wrestling instills

Cooper Ribman Brand Editor

opinions and editorials Editorials represent the viewpoints of the newspaper’s Editorial Board and are not necessarily those of the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty or staff. All personal opinion columns, bylined with the writer’s name and photo, represent the views of that writer only and not necessarily those of The ReMarker, Board of Trustees, administration, faculty or staff. online viewing www.smtexas.org/remarker. reader involvement The ReMarker encourages reader input through guest columns and story ideas. Contact the appropriate editor for suggestions. letters to the editor Letters to the editor are welcome and encouraged. They must be typed, signed and not exceed 300 words. E-mail submissions are not accepted. advertising Contact the business staff at 214.346.8145. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Inclusion of an ad does not represent an endorsement by the school’s administration, faculty, or staff or ReMarker staff members.

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Jeopardizing competition

With President Joe Biden’s executive order, transgender women can compete in female sports nationwide. But, some states have fought to pass bills to overrule this decision in the name of fairness.

ust one week from the day he was inaugurated, President Joe Biden, in all the trappings of the Oval Office — the resolute desk, the cherished family photos, the flagdraped credenza — used his executive powers to extend existing federal nondiscrimination protections to the approximate 1.4 million transgendered American citizens. And, with that order, while giving guaranteed protection for these citizens, Biden’s actions also highlighted one of the biggest questions in sports. Where do transgendered athletes fit in in the world of sports? Currently, over 20 states are considering legislation that would limit or prohibit transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. Supporters of these bills argue that they are needed to reduce inherent competitive advantage of transgender athletes who identify as female. In Texas, transgender athletes have been forced to compete against other athletes of their biological sex. The University Interscholastic League (UIL) was faced with this issue when former Trinity High School student Mack Beggs was forced to wrestle against females despite transitioning from female to male. Beggs was a busy athlete playing softball and track and field as a girl, but when he made his transition, he wanted to try something different. Given the popularity wrestling had at his school, Beggs decided to try it out and made it a goal to win state. All throughout his high school career, Beggs received criticism for having testosterone in his body and many parents protested him being forced to play against girls. To stop the criticism, Beggs had a hormone blocker implanted in his left arm to suppress his testosterone. Nevertheless, in 2017, two opponents forfeited, but that did not stop Beggs from achieving his goal. Beggs went 52-0 and won the 6A Texas state championship for the 110-pound female weight class. Then in 2018, Beggs went 32-0 and finished his high school career winning back-to-back state championships. During the summer in 2018, Beggs participated in the USA Wrestling Texas State Championships where he got to wrestle against biological males. Beggs placed third out of three wrestlers in the Greco-Roman bracket, and third out of six wrestlers in the freestyle bracket. For his accomplishments, Beggs received national headlines and was featured in Mack Wrestles, an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary short film that highlighted him breaking barriers and changing sports in America. Peter Contreras, former Athletic Director of the UIL who was a part of the Beggs decision, believes the agreement to allow Beggs to wrestle was based on the UIL’s emphasis on inclusion. “I think the UIL as an organization takes great pride in the fact that we make accommodations for our athletes for the simple fact that we believe, within reason, that we want participation from as many student-athletes as possible,” Contreras said.

WOMEN’S SPORTS Hockaday freshman Jaden Thomas, left, and Hockaday sophomore Grace Hoverman, right, are among the athletes that could be affected Biden’s decision Some believe transgender women have an advantage over biological females.

Over the last few years, Contreras has grown disappointed in how politics have entered this controversial issue. “I am not so sure this conversation is a political issue, which many people make it out to be,” Contreras said. “To get to the right decision, regardless of if we all agree on it, the government is going to have to let individual states, cities and schools make their own decision and decide what they believe is best for themselves. I think in time, this will help create a better understanding for people who don’t know much about the subject.” Student Council president Blake Hudspeth has rowed for the varsity crew team since his sophomore year. Although uncommon, Hudspeth recognizes the relevance this issue has even in his own sport. “On the one hand, you want to respect what the individual wants, but on the other side, you want to respect the many women who are given an unfair hand when they are now potentially competing against a genetically advantaged individual,” Hudspeth said. “With a sport like rowing where it is a lot about raw strength, the issue becomes even trickier.” Regardless of one’s view on the topic, Hudspeth believes the courage these transgender athletes exercise is something all athletes can learn from. “I honestly am really amazed by the courage some of these athletes have to come out and put themselves on a competitive stage,” Hudspeth said. “To go through a transition in a world that isn’t always accepting and compete as a transgender athlete knowing there is going to be a lot of ridicule is just encouraging for all athletes in my opinion.” As a parent, Vera Ingram, mother of senior Harrison Ingram, sees no problem with transgender women competing in women’s sports. “My daughter Lauren plays volleyball, and there is a transgender youth that plays on another team from a different state, and it does not bother me at all,” Ingram said. “There were some other parents that were very upset about it, but my main thing is kindness and understanding. I

could never imagine going to a kid and telling them they can’t play for a reason like that. Kindness means much more than the sports itself.” As a varsity soccer and lacrosse player at The Hockaday School, junior Remy Finn believes the biological differences between male and female are too significant to ignore. “I definitely think it would feel very invalidating to compete against someone who was born biologically male just because there are inherent differences with things like lung capacity and bone density,” Finn said. “Knowing that, I would feel like they had an advantage, and I feel like that would diminish the work and the time I put into my sport.” Although Finn opposes transgender women competing in women’s sports, her perspective has nothing to do with how she views transgender people in society. “I completely support transgender people,” Finn said. “And I support transitioning and being accepted in society, and I want to stress that that does not parallel with me wanting transgender women to participate in female sports. It’s not that I don’t see them as women. I just think that in the grand scheme of sex versus gender, yes gender is fluid, but sex is not, and at the end of the day, that’s a fact.” While Finn has yet to encounter a transgender athlete on the same playing field, she realizes that could soon change, but she stresses the importance of trying to prevent it from happening to ensure athletes like herself at Hockaday aren’t negatively impacted. “A lot of people when they talk about this subject ask me, ‘Do you have any personal experiences?’ While I do think that’s important, I think that once it gets to the point where you’ve had a personal experience, it’s kind of too late,” Finn said. “You’ve already had that opportunity taken away or you’ve lost recognition for something you’ve worked hard for.” STORY Luke Nayfa, William Aniol, Dillon Wyatt PHOTOS Courtesy Kate Wills, Landry Grover GRAPHIC Jonathan Yin

- Bill proposed or filed - Bill passed but not ratified - Bill fully ratified and in effect

OVERRULE Although Biden’s executive order prohibited the discrimination of transgender athletes, many states have proposed bills to overrule this decision, and six states have banned transgender women from female sports.

The ReMarker • April 16, 2021

Sports

Transgender sports

Trading cards Examining the recent boom in the industry and students’ passions for collecting. Page 24

Sports science The science behind an Ian Mize lacrosse shot. Page 25

Jerseys

Looking at the history of Lions’ sports uniforms and their changes over time. Page 26

In brief

ALUM WINS NATIONALS Chase Honaker ‘19 and the UCLA mens’ water polo team captured the 2020 men’s water polo National Championship, defeating USC by a score of seven to six on March 21. The Bruins finished the season with nine wins and seven losses. Honaker ‘19 said of the championship, “There are so many sacrifices that have been made, and we achieved this huge accomplishment as a team. That just made everything worth it. It’s just such a great feeling.” WRESTLING TOURNAMENT The Prep State wrestling tournament will be held April 17 in Dallas. The top eight prep wrestlers will be the only on the team to compete in each weight class in the event to minimize bracket size and limit COVID-19 exposure. The Nationals tournament is scheduled for early May, but the location remains undecided. NINJA WARRIOR Sophomore Christian Youst placed first in the Pro Male division of this year’s UNAA World Ninja Challenge, announced March 21. More than 1,000 athletes competed over sixteen different divisions, which were categorized by age, skill level and gender. The worldwide competition took place March 12-14, and all athletes ran identical courses at their respective gyms. Youst, who finished the course five seconds faster than his division’s runner-up with a time of 2:27.90, is now a state, national and world champion. SPC DECISION SPC North and South Zone games will be played as regularly scheduled this Spring SPC announced March 5. The teams with the top record for all sports will be named North and South Zone champions with the exception of 4A Boys’ lacrosse. North and South Zone will also both host a track and field and golf tournament to determine the champion in the division. NFL EXTENSION Ty Montgomery ‘11 and the New Orleans Saints have agreed to a one-year contract extension worth a veteran’s minimum salary plus a $137,500 signing bonus. Montgomery started one game for the Saints, rushing for 105 yards on 18 carries in a 33-7 win over the Carolina Panthers. Montgomery was one of only a few players on the Saints to be re-signed because of their salary cap problems.

TRADING CARDS

Reviving an age-old pastime

Ever since the peak of American baseball in the mid-1950s, sports card collecting has seen a general decline in popularity. But now that countless people have been stuck in their homes for an entire year due to COVID-19, the nostalgic hobby has seen a major comeback. GO CARD Ever since his Lower School days with Frank Jordan, sophomore Patrick Flanagan has been collecting football cards from his favorite college team, the Stanford Cardinals. Pictured to the right are some of his favorite players: Christian McCaffery, Richard Sherman and Ty Montgomery '11.

FAMILY BUSINESS Sophomore Patrick Flanagan holds his most prized sports card — a football card of his great-grandfather, Christie Flanagan, who played halfback for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

April 16, 2021

Sports

The ReMarker

or years, former third grade teacher Frank Jordan used fast food coupons as incentives for his students, rewarding them with stars for good behavior or high test scores. But, 15 years ago, policy changed. Fast food coupons were no longer an option, so Jordan looked for new ways to reward his students. While at a garage sale, his wife Joyce spotted a laundry tub full of 2000 sports cards. “Do you want to use those for your prizes?” she asked. Although initially hesitant, Jordan saw the price tag –– $5 –– and bought the entire collection. In the years to follow, Jordan turned to buying specialized cards for each student based on what player they asked for, which in turn created a widespread passion for sports cards in an entire generation of Marksmen. While students had the choice between trading cards and erasers, many of the sports fans would bypass the colorful pencil tops and exchange their 30 stars for a card of their choice. Jordan Frank allowed students Jordan Former to choose between standard third-grade cards and jersey cards, which teacher include a cutout of the athlete’s uniform. “Most of them would choose the jersey cards, but those cost more stars, so it taught them delayed gratification,” Jordan said. “You don't just get it, you've got to work for it.” Along with many of his classmates, sophomore Patrick Flanagan first discovered his love for sports collectibles in Jordan’s class. “I first heard about sports cards coming into Mr. J's class,” Flanagan said. “As a third-grader, it was really exciting to find all my favorite players in a cool format like trading cards.” Like Flanagan, senior Daniel Sanchez and junior Jake Robinowitz attribute their hobby of collecting sports cards to Jordan. Of his hundreds of collectibles, Robinowitz’s most valuable card is a Sport Magazine ‘58 Mickey Mantle All-Star card which he landed at Nick’s Sports Cards and Memorabilia, a store recommended by Jordan. “I always thought they had a nice shop,” Robinowitz said. “My favorite part was the mystery

bags full of signed baseballs. I used to always get those on my birthday. They were $50, and you could pull out some Hall-of-Fame signed baseballs in there –– great deal!” Dean Fuller, the owner of Nick’s, recognizes the role the pandemic has played in the recent boom in sports card collecting. For example, Dallas Mavericks All-Star Luka Dončić's rookie card broke the record for most expensive basketball card sold with a price of $4.6 million. "You hear so many sad stories during the pandemic of businesses failing and having trouble, but the pandemic has strengthened this industry,” Fuller said. “When everyone was home during the lockdown, people started digging up their collections and searching them up on eBay, which started the growth.” There’s a pretty good chance that I could’ve had a really valuable ‘52 Mickey Mantle rookie card. On the auction block, a good one goes for $3 million. God bless her soul, but my mother threw all my cards away when I was in college. Frank Jordan, former third-grade teacher

Fuller believes before modern advancements in the digital world, card collectors viewed their purchases as a hobby rather than a means for financial gain. Now, some of these same cards are priceless investments. “The recent growth is a byproduct of stock market money starting to fuel the card industry,” Fuller said. “When you have this much money pouring in, it’s a catalyst for more action in the market and more spikes in prices.” Because of this shift from children collecting cards for fun to adults selling them on eBay, some collectors like math instructor Corindo Martin, who has a myriad of valuable collectibles including a signed Michael Jordan rookie card, have left this hobby in the past. “It just kind of diluted the whole thing,” Martin said, “so I just got out of it because there wasn't really a lot of love and desire from the people I started dealing with. It wasn’t about the player or the sport –– they just wanted the most valuable card they could get their hands on.” With a growing market surrounding these cards, a new online collectible has arrived: non-fungible tokens

or NFTs. One company, NBA Top Shot, has set itself apart from the pack. Although some sports fans laugh at the idea of online collectibles, sophomore collector Sky Park believes NFTs could be the future of the industry. “Top Shot is basically an open market where you can purchase and sell ‘minted’ NBA moments as a way to build up a collection,” Park said. “Each moment contains a highlight from a specific NBA player. What makes Top Shot different from just viewing the same highlights on YouTube is that each moment is unique, and there is only a certain number of that specific moment that is ‘minted.’ Having an NBA Top Shot moment is just like having a physical sports card.” Because of Jordan’s influence and generosity, dozens of students here at 10600 Preston Rd. now have shoeboxes full of sports cards. “I think sports card collecting is all about the memories,” Sanchez said. “I still have four massive binders from Mr. Jordan’s class that are loaded with hundreds of random sports cards, and it’s just always a fun time to look back and remember different eras of both the sports world and my own life.” STORY Peter Orsak, Luke Nayfa, Arjun Khatti PHOTOS Patrick Flanagan

Brief history of sports cards • 1886: Goodwin & Co., a tobacco company, introduced the first collection of sports cards by inserting them into cigarrete packaging. • 1986-1992: As millions of new collectors joined the hobby, sports card companies severely overprinted their cards, leading to what is now known as the "junk wax" era. • July 2019: NBA Top Shot partnered with the National Basketball Players Association to launch what is now the most popular and fastest growing NFT-based sports card market. • March 2021: A Luka Dončić one-of-one autographed rookie card sold for a record-breaking $4.6 million, making it the most expensive basketball card of all time.

Junior Basketball League makes its long-awaited return to action with improved features by Arjun Khatti fter a successful first season last year, the Junior Basketball League returned March 2 for a new and improved second round. The league now consists of nine teams, and all stats and game scores are being recorded on their Instagram account: @ smbball22. With COVID-19 making it difficult for the grade to organize off-campus events, junior and co-founder of the league Camden Reeves believed it would be the perfect time to open up the second season this spring. “Last year was a huge success,” Reeves said. “It was our favorite thing our student council organized. With not much else going on this year, being able to do something together has been really helpful in getting the grade

energized. We definitely would have started a lot earlier –– probably in the fall –– but with COVID-19, we had to wait for things to loosen up a bit. It was pretty easy because we had already devised a plan for organizing teams and scheduling, so whenever we got the green light, we were ready to go.” To keep the league interesting and exciting, Reeves and his co-founder junior Alex Nadalini made several changes. Among these changes were new ways for teams to add players to their rosters, midseason festivities and power rankings. “We set up a waiver wire system, so the guys who originally didn’t sign up could be picked up on a roster,” Reeves said. “If a team has an injury, or if someone cannot play on game day, these free agents can be added and

serve as a replacement player. We're also planning on having an all-star break with a three-point contest and other fun events. And, since we’re keeping track of all stats, we have a bunch of different awards that players can compete for over the course of the season."

BALLING OUT Junior and co-founder of the JBL Alex Nadalini makes a move on his defender in the first week of games.

The most coveted award, the Most Valuable Player award, went to junior Conor Duffy last season. This year, the league has also added the Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player awards. For Duffy, the league is a way for casual players to enjoy themselves, but it is also a good stress reliever. “It's always just something to look forward to when you're in your classes before lunch,” Duffy said. “The lunch period isn't super long, so in my opinion, it's too short to do any real studying, but it's also too long to just go to your next class. I think it's a fun way for everyone to enjoy the lunch period, whether that’s actually playing in the league or just getting a crowd together to watch.” PHOTO Sal Hussain

SPORTS SCIENCE

Opposing goalies’ worst nightmare

As an attackman for the Lions, junior captain and Princeton University lacrosse commit Ian Mize garners as much attention on the field as anyone else. Despite often being guarded by the opposing team’s best player and constantly facing double and triple-teams, Mize has dominated play. We take a look at what makes him so unguardable and the science behind a Mize shot.

Science

behind the game A breakdown of junior Ian Mize’s shot

Goalie reaction time from 30 feet

0.58 sec

Catch and release time on a shot

46.7%

In-game accuracy, with 14 goals on 30 shots

167 lb•ft

Average torque during his shot, equal to a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek

COMPILATIONS Peter Orsak PHOTOS Courtesy Alex Geng, Creative Commons

Fletcher Carron, AP Physics instructor

TAKING OVER Left, junior captain Ian Mize lines up an off-hand shot on the ESD goalie while surrounded by defenders. Right, Mize jukes between two Eagles’ midfielders with a swim dodge before marching down the field to set up a Lions’ goal. The Lions fell short against ESD 6-10, but hold a 3-2 record on the season with wins against Plano West, McKinney and Prosper.

Lacrosse team carries on without seniors, juniors step up into leadership roles by Rajan Joshi or the first time in school history, the varsity lacrosse team does not have a single senior playing. Without seniors, the team has had to adapt by having junior captains lead the team. Junior goalie James Fults is one of four captains for the Lions, along with juniors Ian Mize, Henry Piccagli and Henry Schechter. While he acknowledges it is a different experience than he had expected, Fults has enjoyed taking on the big role. “Being a captain is pretty awesome,” Fults said. “The fact that there isn’t a senior on the team is so

weird because I’m used to always having senior leaders. I never really thought I’d have to step into this position as a junior. I’m just trying to do everything I can to help the team.” Assistant coach Jason Leneau has been impressed with the juniors’ ability to lead the team. “I think our juniors have really taken on the leadership role that seniors normally would,” Leneau said. “It has gone really smoothly with them at the helm since we have some really strong voices on the team who lead by example and say the right things at the right time.”

Even without seniors, Leneau has seen the juniors command respect from underclassmen. “The underclassmen still seem to have a lot of respect for the juniors,” Leneau said. “The captains have been there for long enough to earn the respect of their peers.” Sophomore John Charest is one of the underclassmen who has embraced the juniors as captains. “It’s definitely been different, but the juniors have done amazing at stepping into the leadership roles,” Charest said. “We recently voted for captains and having that leadership

from them has been key for us.” Leneau believes the team will continue improving throughout the season. “Everyone on the team, from the freshmen to the seniors are just working to be the best version of ourselves every day,” Leneau said. “I’m excited to see the improvement throughout the season.” Fults is looking forward to the rest of the season with the team. “We’ve had continued improvement throughout the season,” Fults said, “and I can’t wait to see the progress we make as a team this season.”

25 The ReMarker

The speed of the ball is the product of the stick’s angular velocity and the length of the stick. The key is to maximize your angular velocity or rotational speed. You give it angular velocity by applying a lot of torque, so the more torque and the longer the stick, the faster your shot will be.

0.23 sec

April 16, 2021

What generates the fastest lacrosse shot?

Top shot velocity by junior captain Ian Mize

Sports

A word from the expert

90.0 mph

JERSEYS

Out of style

2021

As time has progressed, massive advancements have been made in the sports equipment industry. The uniforms that Lion athletes sport each time they take the field appear different –– some sports more than others. 1951

Football

Baseball 1940

1925 1990

2020 LEATHER TO PLASTIC Of the Lions team uniforms, football has changed the most, considering the Lions wore leather helmets in 1925 and now wear highly protective, hard-shell plastic helmets.

Basketball

Sports

PRE-1950

1990

April 16, 2021

The ReMarker

KEEPING CONSISTENT Lions baseball uniforms have not seen wide-sweeping changes throughout the years. The same attire being worn in 1940 –– cap, shortsleeve jersey, pants, belt and cleats –– is being worn now, just with updates in jersey design to fit the modern era.

1950

2021

SHORT SHORTS ARE BACK The Lion basketball uniforms (left) are similar to those of 2021 in many ways, namely in the return of the short shorts –– a staple of 20th century hoops.

COMPILATIONS William Aniol PHOTOS Courtesy Development Office, Sal Hussain

The value of sports to a Marksman by Luke Nayfa ports seem to always be on my mind. All day, I follow any relevant news in the sports world. When I finish my homework, the first channel I turn to on my TV is ESPN. For most of my life, I have viewed my passion for sports as a feeling connected to love, but as the complexities of life have increased throughout my maturation, my appreciation for my athletics has dramatically changed. Throughout my eight years at this school, I have played five different sports. As a varsity football captain this year, my impact on the team was incredibly significant, beyond any other previous season. Given the circumstances of the pandemic earlier this summer and fall, our season was cut to only two games and a few weeks of practice. In what was likely my last season of organized football and in the midst of the most difficult academic year in high school, I knew how important it was for me to take full advantage of any time we could get together as a team. I no longer cared about our team’s record, my individual statistics or any other measurements of our team. To

me, this season was an opportunity to inspire my teammates –– specifically the underclassmen –– around me. Throughout high school, those two hours of practice every day after school were vital in allowing me to escape any hardships around me. Whether on the football field, basketball court or golf course, the thrill of challenging myself and my teammates is a Luke feeling that simply Nayfa Sports cannot be matched. editor During the peak of the pandemic, many athletes and Marksmen alike felt that the value of organized athletic competition was brushed aside as a secondary. It was during this time that I realized how crucial the role sports play in my mental health. St. Mark’s has provided me with academic opportunities that will serve me and hundreds of other Marksmen for a lifetime, but what I have learned as an athlete is an education that can’t be obtained in the classroom. Sports have taught me how to utilize my failures as stepping stones for greater accomplishments in the future. We lose more than we win in life.

Jeffrey S. Genecov, ‘77, DDS, MSD

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Track and field wins four of first five meets

WARMING UP Senior captain Julian Ivarra leads a group of Lions in warm-ups just before the DFW Private School Circuit at Prince of Peace March 26.

Finishing first place in four of their first five meets, the Lions track and field team is off to an impressive start. Senior Mike Mendoza, a three-year varsity shot put and discus thrower, is impressed with the teams performance so far. “Our distance team is doing amazing and the sprinters have many experienced seniors,” Mendoza said. “On the field aspect, I’ve been absolutely blown away by our jumpers and the throwers. It’s really crazy the amount of potential we have this season with about 50 guys, so I’m looking forward to performing at SPC if they’re able to host it.” During the Prince of Peace meet March 27, Junior Samuel Eluemenoh set a personal record in discus with a distance of 160’8”. Sophomore Zane Wallace also set his name in the record book during the Greenhill meet March 26 with a triple jump distance of 45’10.75”, placing him third all-time in school history. Finally, senior Yale commit Kit Colson broke the school record, which has stood since 1982, for the 100 meter race April 10 with a time of 10.67 seconds.

Baseball continues to improve

The varsity baseball team has started off the season with a 4-8 record. In non-conference play, the team has struggled to find a rhythm, but their recent performances have been much improved. After starting off the season with a .156 batting average, senior captain Daniel Sanchez has massively improved, increasing his batting average to .267. Senior captain Jacob Daniels allowed only one hit in four innings while pitching against Home School Athletic Association and has proven to be a productive batter with a .293 batting average. Reflecting on the season so far, Sanchez is optimistic for what's to come for the squad. “We definitely struggled early in the season against non-conference teams,” Sanchez said. “But we recently got a counter win, and we’re really confident in our team the rest of the season.”

The Lions hosted McKinney for their first counter game of the season and won convincingly, 14-4. Junior Alex Geng led the team in a big way and finished the game with 75% on faceoffs. Juniors Ian Mize and Henry Piccagli each scored three goals to solidify the victory. During the game, goalies James Fultz and Ian William combined for seven saves. Fultz believes the best is yet to come for the team. “Our season has been going well,” Fults said. “We definitely have a lot of room to grow, but I feel like we’re well on our way to being the best team we can be.”

Crew

Golf

PHOTOS Sal Hussain, Courtesy Alex Geng, Courtesy Kit Colson

Tennis

Water polo

2021 RECORD 1-0

2021 tournament wins 3

2021 RECORD 4-0

2021 RECORD 5-0

Junior Evan McGowan recorded a time of 6:24.6 in a 2k, the fastest erg time from all of the juniors programs and masters at the Dallas Rowing Club.

Sophomore Logan Johnson shot a team-low 76 in the Jesuit Invitational at Brookhaven Country Club.

Senior Mark Motlow is committed to Sewannee University to play division three tennis.

Senior Blake Hudspeth committed to MIT for crew.

Senior Rex Corey and Juniors Anashay Monga and Mac McKenzie are captains of the team.

Quote from the captain “Our season has been going really well. We have a lot of new rowers this year, and it has been really awesome to go out and practice with them every day.” ––Senior Blake Hudspeth

Quote from the captain “We’ve been competing really well this season, and we have a lot more opportunities to prove ourselves with some pretty challenging tournaments coming up.” ––Senior Rex Corey

Currently, the varsity tennis team has yet to drop a single set in competition through four matches of play this season.

Seniors Jack Palmer and Leo Ohannessian plan to play collegiate water polo at the University of California Santa Barbara.

Quote from the captain “I love all of my teammates, and we’re excited to improve throughout the season. We’re hoping to win North Zone this year.” ––Senior Mark Motlow

Quote from the captain “It’s all about legacy, it’s about making sure that we not only win this year, but that we put ourselves in a position to win next year and the years after that.” ––Senior Aayan Khasgiwala

COMPILATIONS Luke Nayfa, Rajan Joshi, SeMaj Musco

Nationally ranked junior fencer returns to competition after a year of absence by Dillon Wyatt unior Adam Lai is returning to fence for Globus Fencing Academy after a year-long hiatus from the sport due to COVID-19. Lai placed first in the US Super Junior and Cadet Circuit Tournament and the US Capitol Clash Super Youth Circle Y14, while placing third at the Eislingen, Germany Cadet World Cup Men’s Sabre Team Event. Lai’s accomplishments have put him on the US Fencing First Team-All American team two years in a row, and he is currently ranked twelfth in the country for cadet men’s saber fencers in his age group.

“I want to get recruited for fencing,” Lai said. “I joined Globus Fencing Academy three years ago so I could travel the country and the world to play in tournaments and showcase my talents.” Lai was looking forward to playing in more tournaments with the academy, but after winning the U.S. Capitol Clash tournament in late Feb. last year, Lai’s season quickly came to an end just a few weeks later. “Around March last year, everything shut down, and there were no more tournaments for a whole year,” Lai said. “I ended up stopping fencing completely for four months,

but then my dad bought me a practice dummy, so I practiced at home every once in a while.” Although Lai was unable to play, the coaches at his academy did everything they could to keep him prepared for when he could resume playing. “Around five months ago, there were some conditioning drills that my coaches made me do,” Lai said. “Unfortunately, due to COVID protocols, they had to stop doing that too.” With the help of the vaccine, Lai can finally return to the sport he loved.

“I got my second vaccine shot March 30 which means I can finally go to practice,” Lai said. “It feels good to be able to fully practice with my team again and prepare for future competition.” After a year of inactivity and limited practice, Lai is going to compete in the April North American Cup, a national competition in Fort Worth. “I want to compare myself to how other people are now,” Lai said. “I’m sure everyone else might be as rusty as me since there were no tournaments during COVID, so getting a feel for everyone else will be good.”

The ReMarker

Lacrosse prepares for end of season stretch

Sports

LEANING IN Sophomore midfielder Murphy Paul looks for the pass as he’s guarded by a McKinney defender in the Lion’s 14-4 win.

27 April 16, 2021

WINDING UP Senior pitcher Daniel Sanchez stands 60’6” away from the batters box as he prepares for the pitch. As of April 8, Sanchez has 20 strikeouts on the season –– four shy of senior Jacob Daniels who leads the team.

ReMarker ST. MARK’S SCHOOL OF TEXAS 10600 PRESTON RD. DALLAS, TX 75230

BEAUTY IN CHAOS “I know people who have an exact count of what they’ve bought, down to the brick,” Davis said. “But I’m like, ‘I don’t even know how many sets I have.’ Honestly, I just don’t think I want to know.”

LEGO

A city of bricks Over five years, 80,000 pieces and countless hours of work have culminated in math instructor Valerie Davis’ Lego city of Bricklyn, an ever-changing metropolitan city based on its namesake, Brooklyn.

FAMILY “I’ve always enjoyed Lego,” Davis said. “When he was growing up, I kind of used my son as an excuse to buy sets that we would build together.”

April 16, 2021

Backpage

The ReMarker

FOR ALL AGES “For some people, it’s a flashback to their childhood,” Davis said. “For me, I love Lego because I can just sit there and forget about anything else that is going on. It’s very therapeutic.”

PLAYTIME “I don’t sit there moving minifigures around,” Davis said, “but I love to set up little scenes throughout my city.”

HIGH FLIER In addition to the city of Bricklyn itself, Davis has Lego planes strung up overhead and a functioning subway running underneath.

PHOTOS Evan Lai

The ReMarker

Senior Special Section • Dallas, TX • Volume 67, Number 6 • April 16, 2021 •St. Mark’s School of Texas

When all through the Quad, Not a student was stirring, not even SeMaj; Class flags were hung by the "senior lounge" with care, In hopes that COVID-19 would soon not be there; The seniors were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of white tuxes danced in their heads; And Shepro in his uniform, and Dini in his suit, The headmaster practicing his speech, the general his salute; When on the class GroupMe there arose such a clatter, The seniors whipped out their phones to see what was the matter; Aayan and Jordan had been arguing all May About Senior Exes, Senior Pranks and Senior Skip Day; Away to the conflict the seniors flew like a flash, Faster than Kit the track star’s 100-meter dash; When what to their wondering eyes did appear But an insufferably long poll (of non-yearbook engineer); With a plethora of questions, not easy at all, We knew the discussion might turn to a brawl; More rapid than eagles the seniors they came; It happens so often, we know them by name: There’s Cristian, there’s Tristan, there’s Aaryan and Beau And Julian, of course, with a timely “ratio;” The argument raged on as many had foreseen And thanks to Buck there was no shortage of memes; But in the end everyone came together, got along, The Class of 2021 is indeed 102 strong; Now only a few hours until graduation remain, Only a few hours ‘till we crack open that faux champagne; We will take the stage, a band of brothers, Graduate, finally, next to one another; And after our graduation celebration, perhaps at Bajec’s, We will end our journey here and move onto the next.

Inside

Former students

Former members of the Class of 2021 reflect on the memories they formed here. Page 2

Dynamic duos

Questions and answers with the class’s most iconic combos, from Josh and Kit to Blake and Will. Page 3

ARTWORK Jamie Mahowald

Final ReMarks

ReMarker seniors look back on their time on staff as their days in the Publications Suite wind down. Page 7

Things I wish I’d known a few years earlier

BOARDING Vietor left St. Mark’s for New rom the moment I stepped on campus as a Hampshire’s first grader. I’ve been referred to as part of Phillips Exeter Academy, a the Class of 2021. prestigious I still remember logging into IXL Learning, boarding a website that we used to practice math, in Mrs. school.

FORMER STUDENT

Always a Marksman

William Vietor, who left the school after his freshman year, reflects on his time at 10600 Preston Rd.

April 16, 2021

The ReMarker

Seniors

he term “Marksman” is seldom absent from speeches and articles pertaining to St. Mark’s, its students and its alumni. Yet, when I first arrived at St. Mark’s as a new seventh grader, I could not for the life of me understand why the community so tightly grasped onto this word. With a mascot fierce (one might even say as courageous and honorable) like a lion, what need is there for a second personification of the St. Mark’s community? In the weeks leading up to my first day at St. Mark’s, I spent far longer than I’d ever admit pondering whether the term Marksman was meant as a pun or if it held some sort of greater significance. I will not pretend to know the term’s original intent, but I will maintain that, to me, the term “Marksman” encapsulates the St. Mark’s community and brotherhood better than any animal ever could. Having left St. Mark’s after my freshman year for boarding school at Phillips Exeter Academy, I’ve now attended two high schools that feature a lion as their mascot. Exeter offered the curricular diversity I was looking for and the independence I craved. But before I proceed, I have a bit of a confession to make. I came to Exeter as a new sophomore, but I first applied for enrollment as a freshman. The decision to stay at St. Mark’s for my freshman year was not my own; it took only a month for my initial waitlist from Exeter to become a rejection. At the time, I was disappointed, but as I write this article during my senior spring, I can wholeheartedly say that my initial rejection from Exeter was one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. As a senior, I can now recognize all the aspects of St.

Mark’s that I took for granted. I browse through the Senior Auction, and I am astonished at the quality of your visual art. It is truly professionallevel work, and if I were not a near-broke incoming college student, I would have bid on many of the items. If I owned a house, I would be proud to display your art in it. To the faculty, you all have created a curriculum that is world-class. I will forever be indebted to the St. Mark’s English and Humanities Departments for teaching me how to use a comma correctly; to the History and Social Sciences Department, though I did not know it at the time, for teaching me how to do research and for offering some of liveliest discussions I’ve ever experienced; to the Foreign Language Department for giving me a foundation in Spanish grammar and vocabulary, which has proven so strong that it has made many of my Exeter language courses rather redundant; to Arnold E. Holtberg Master Teaching Chair Scott Hunt for teaching me the technique of photography that ultimately made me relearn how to see; to the Math and Science departments for their promotion of self-exploration, their unending passion and their curricular excellence (my St. Mark’s Middle School classes have carried me through entire trimesters of classes at Exeter, and any calculus student will tell you over and over of their gratitude for former math instructor J.T. Sutcliffe’s Honors Algebra II class). However, more important than curricular strength and academic rigor, I now realize that many of my fondest (and definitely funniest) high school memories come from my freshman year at St. Mark’s. I

remember playing “Surviv.io” in the library during second period free. I remember eating pre-game Chick-Fil-A and Jimmy Johns in the Great Hall. I remember laughing around the campfire in Pecos after a bear was allegedly sighted during our solo. And I still smile at the video I have on my phone of Harrison Ingram sticking his face into Daniel Sanchez’s hood in Spanish class. These are the memories that will stay with me long after my senior year. And to me, these are the times that define the St. Mark’s community. To younger students, live in the moment, and savor these moments, because they truly are unique to St. Mark’s. Thus, I can now offer my final thoughts on the term Marksman. I could analyze the word’s meaning as if it were a quotation from Moby-Dick: I could argue that a Marksman’s vision towards his prey (his goal) reflects the St. Mark’s commitment to delayed gratification or that his skill and precision is embodied by your art, athletic achievement (those SPC W’s made me smile) and academic work. Doing so would prove both fulfilling and fascinating, but I believe that it would miss the most significant aspect of the Marksman term: its singularity. Many other students from many other schools can call themselves lions, but only you can call yourselves Marksmen, and you all should be proud to do so. STORY William Vietor PHOTO Courtesy William Vietor

What’s your favorite memory from your time here? Each former Marksman recieved the same question My favorite memory at St. Mark’s was when our entire grade got banned from the library because so many people would go there and mess around on a daily basis. An incident that definitely helped cause the ban was when every single person in the library got sent to the office because they couldn’t figure out who was being loud, so there was a line of about 30 people outside of the office waiting to be questioned.

My favorite memory during my time at St. Mark’s was from a day in fifth grade after school. A couple of friends and I were playing infection across the whole campus, and when it was over we decided to sneak in the bell tower. We climbed all the way to the top and rang the bell about ten times until we got scared. We sprinted down and ran straight to McDonald’s to make sure we wouldn’t get caught.

Van Ayvazian, left after freshman year

Jackson Lane, left after sixth grade

My favorite memory at St. Mark’s is getting to play football alongside my brother and my dad. Having the two most important people next to me for my first start was something I will never forget. Matthew Epperson, left after sophomore year

My favorite memory from St. Mark’s was getting to mess around in Chinese class. I still remember our teacher chasing after one of the other kids in the class while wearing high heels. I was impressed — she ran really fast even though she was wearing high heels. Henry Hoy, left after seventh grade

Materre’s classroom and the number “21” was part of my username. Somehow or another someone asked about those numbers. That’s the year you’re going to graduate, she told us. 2021? That didn’t exist in the short-termoriented mind of nine-year-old Jack. That was 2013. He couldn’t comprehend what would happen in eight years. He hadn’t even been at St. Mark’s for four full years, and with eight years before his graduation — or whatever Mrs. Materre was talking about — he really didn’t care. But now that’s what’s on the minds of the 102 blue-shirt-clad seniors on and off campus. So to all the younger Marksmen, who aren’t as focused on graduation as I might be, I want to give you guys a few notes I’ve learned from my time here. Make the most of your senior year. Jack Davis This year has been Executive simultaneously the Page Editor toughest and busiest while being the most enjoyable and memorable. You’re going to take some of your toughest classes this year in calculus and, if you’re like me, Physics C — the C means even more calculus. Even after the first semester and college apps are done, teachers aren’t going to stop assigning anything. But that’s sometimes what makes those memories. I’m never going to forget the grind during production weeks and Saturdays trying to finish up the last pages of the paper or magazine before shipping it all out or the nights with Ryan or Rahul before Joe’s calc tests. So be ready for a lot of work, but make sure you can find some fun in it with friends. Try anything and everything you can. This is mainly for the guys just starting Upper School or even Middle School, but still applies to everyone. Take any class or go to any club or meeting that you can. You’re not going to get that many classes where you can choose what you want to take in high school, so when you get that opportunity, make the most of it. If you can’t find a class, try an independent study. You can create something on virtually any topic with almost any teacher on campus, so you’re bound to find something interesting. Especially with clubs, go to as many meetings you can in the early part of the year. You’re not committed to a full year of anything, so join a club even if you’re not certain you’ll like it. I’ve joined more clubs than I could attend weekly every year — some that I loved and some that I dropped after the first meeting. Use that flexibility to try something new, even if it doesn’t work out. Form relationships with people in other grades. My favorite activities on campus are times that I’m with guys in other grades: journalism, athletics and some classes. On the paper, seniors, juniors and sophomores are constantly working together on stories and page designs. Juniors and seniors are up at the Publications Suite until eight or nine some nights working on pages to create the best newspaper we can. Every day on volleyball, we’d have that two-hour practice with juniors and seniors or freshmen and sophomores, working to become the best team we could be and aiming to crush our next opponent. I didn’t really do that until this past year or two. I didn’t form that many strong connections with guys in the grades above me. I’m lucky enough to have an older brother and have talked to him when I’ve needed advice for senior year and now looking into college, but I know that great advice can come from knowing people a year or two ahead of you. So make sure you find that connection and make friends in every grade, you’ll never know when you’re going to need to ask for some advice or be the one who’s advice is being asked for.

DYNAMIC DUOS

Double trouble In a class of 102 teenagers, there’s bound to be a few pairs of students with a connection deeper than most. Here are a couple. STORY Alam Alidina, Eric Yoo PHOTOS Courtesy Randy Colson, Courtesy Blake Hudspeth

KIT COLSON & JOSH MYSORÉ Alam Alidina: Tell me about the first time you met each other. Kit Colson: The first time I met Josh was in our fifth grade humanities class. We became friends quickly because of shared interests but we didn’t become close until seventh grade soccer. Josh Mysore: He was new to St. Mark’s — we were both in Mr. Davies’ afternoon humanities class. AA: Best moment of your friendship? JM: We went on a college tour together during sophomore year and set off the fire alarm trying to cook eggs in our room. Sorry Ms. Nute. KC: Josh showed up at my house unannounced for the first time in a year at the beginning of the pandemic.

BROS Starting their 10600 Preston Rd. experiences together as new fifth graders, seniors Blake Hudspeth (left) and Will Chance (right) have been tied at the hip.

Eric Yoo: When did you first meet? Blake Hudspeth: It was a sunny Sunday, and I spied him out of the corner of my eye walking across the quad. Will Chance: No, we met at a new kids party at Van’s house the summer before fifth grade. It was like a pizza party, summer hang-out type of thing.

EY: What did you think of each other? BH: Just a tall, goofy kid with blonde hair. He hit his head a lot in Middle School, and I think that really helped him become the man he is today. WC: When I first saw Blake, I thought this kid has a brother at St. Mark’s, so I bet he knows what’s going on around here. He’s a pretty chill guy, so I’m going to hang around this dude. EY: When did y’all become really good friends BH: Definitely from the beginning in fifth grade. Especially in sixth grade, we started hanging out at friend’s houses a lot, almost every weekend. Then, lunch at the courtyard in the science area became our hangout spot during school. WC: Yeah, throughout Middle School. We also played sports together. We both played lacrosse all throughout Middle School, and then we quit at the same time. And we’ve been doing crew together every year of high school, so plenty of time for our friendship to blossom. EY: Who is the parent out of the two of you? WC: Blake is definitely the mom in our relationship.

He usually tends to keep me in check and responsible. He drives me around a bunch too. BH: I agree. I am kind of the mom. Will is definitely the dad though. Will have you ever looked in the mirror and seen how much of a dad you are? Will’s totally the cool dad or uncle at the barbecue just hanging out. EY: What do you dislike the most about the other? BH: How loud Will is. He’s unnecessarily loud where he should be quiet like in restaurants, movie theaters or even just walking around school. He’ll come up to me and say something, and I just tell him, “Will, that was so loud.” WC: When Blake tells me I need to quiet down or stop acting like a fool. I’ll call him and say, “You’re not my dad. You can’t tell me what to do.” EY: What’s your favorite moment together? BH: I don’t really know. We have a lot of funny moments together. But more of a heartfelt one is finishing a regatta together in like a double or a quad. WC: Yeah, definitely crossing the finish line of a big race, slapping the water after we won.

Fire alarms, fingernails and 12 years of my ragged backpack: an ode to Spot

am panicking. I repeat. This is not a drill. I am panicking! Please leave using the nearest exit. Do not use the elevators. I AM PANICKING! It’s August 2009, and my bowlcutted self is chomping through what’s left of my fingernails on the lawn between the Clark Center and the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas. Correction: the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science that’s apparently on fire. The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science that’s surrounded by three fire trucks. The Erik Jonsson

School of Engineering and Computer Science that’s holding my most precious first grade belongings, my brand new backpack and my snazzy one-inch “Let’s Instill Organization Now” binder from first grade orientation earlier that day. The whole building is going to catch on fire and my backpack and my binder are in there and they’re going to catch on fire and then I’ll have to get a new backpack and what am I supposed to tell Mrs. Carrio? My supercool binder caught on fire? I’ve had the same backpack for my 12 years here. It’s not hard to notice. The broken zippers, the loose threads, the ripped

bottle pouches, they all kind of give away the fact that I’ve had Spot — yes, he has a name — for a while now. It wasn’t Siddhartha Sinha planned. Never Managing was a goal of Editor mine to have arguably the most ragged item in the class when my dad and I bought it at the student store in 2009. It definitely wasn’t the plan when I thought it was in flames along with my L.I.O.N. binder. The fire was a false alarm by the way. But over the years, Spot’s been more than just the vessel that literally keeps me grounded.

He’s represented the people I’ve come to know — the people I’ve come to love — in my time here. He’s been there for the bad tests. He’s been there for the lunchtime highlights. He’s been there for the tough workouts. And through it all, Spot’s taken my fire — all my junk and stress-inducing behavior — and turned me into the best person I can possibly be. So here’s to Spot’s past, Spot’s future and everybody who’s had something to do with my 12 years here. Y’all made it through a fire and then some. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

The ReMarker

BLAKE HUDSPETH & WILL CHANCE

IN SYNC Whether it’s on the track or in the classroom, seniors Kit Colson (left) and Josh Mysoré (right) know each other like the back of their hands.

April 16, 2021

AA: Give each other a ‘Most Likely To.’ KC: Josh is most likely to always be traveling. JM: Kit’s most likely to throw Milk Duds at the movie theater screen.

AA: It’s your last day before college and you’re never going to see each other again —what do you say to him? KC: I’m so thankful that I met you. Even if I never see you again, I’ll always treasure the memories I made with you. Love you, man. See ya. JM: Kit, from Middle School soccer and endless XBox marathons to awkward freshman parties and intense track workouts, you have always stuck by my side. Know that I love you like a brother, and I have no doubt you’ll succeed in this world with honor and virtue, whether you’re an English major writing a thesis on 1984 — B! B! — or anime. Thanks for being my best friend all these years. I’ll miss you, bro.

Seniors

AA: Between the two of you, who’s funnier? JM: Kit and I’s sense of humor has essentially devolved over the years thanks to bad-movie marathons and bizarre inside jokes, so I’m not sure. I think we’d burst out laughing if a potato fell off a table at this point. Still, I think that’s one of the best parts of our friendships. We feel comfortable enough to be our genuine selves. That being said, I’m funnier. KC: I’d like to think that I’m funnier.

AA: Favorite runningrelated hero? KC: My favorite track athlete is Michael Norman. He’s a guy that’s faced a lot of adversity in his career, yet he always ends up both mentally and physically stronger after overcoming those obstacles. JM: Matthew Boling, from what I know, would be our shared running hero. Just knowing he’s close to us in age, so fast and also from Texas was a super dope experience.

LOOKING BACK

Graduating 102 strong

Starting with 32 baggy-shirted first graders, the Class of 2021 will graduate with 102 Marksmen, the largest class in the school’s history. Follow along to see memories from the Class’s journey since August 2008.

2009: First grade photo

The first 32 members of the Class of 2021 gather on a school trip to the Rosewood Center for Family Arts.

Fourth graders walk down the chapel’s aisle, presenting the banners they created in art class.

April 16, 2021

The ReMarker

Seniors

2012: Banner Chapel

May 2017: Eighth grade graduation at Final Assembly

The Class of 2021 leaves behind the structure of Middle School and gets ready for the transition to Upper School.

August 2017:

Pecos Wilderness Trip About to jump into their freshman year, the class prepares to get back on the bus home after a successful decades-long annual tradition in the Pecos Mountains of New Mexico.

COMPILATION Sai Thirunagari, SeMaj Musco, Rajan Joshi, Jamie Mahowald PHOTOS Class of 2021 Shutterfly, School Media Archive

March 2020:

McDonald’s Week on Campus

After the Oct. 20, 2019 tornado destroyed the Preston-Royal McDonald’s, the Class of 2021 held its McDonald’s Week entirely on campus. “My anxiousness turned into excitement when I saw our class come together to defeat an obstacle that seemed impossible,” McDonald’s Week Co-Chair Gabe Bines said.

September 2020:

First week on campus

Suzanne and Patrick McGee Family Master Teaching Chair in Mathematics and Senior Class sponsor Joe Milliet teaches a part-remote, part-inperson AP Calculus BC class at the beginning of the 20202021 school year.

February 2021: Snowed Out

Owing to an inclement blizzard that shut down the state, Marksmen spent a week away from campus as the Quad filled up with snow.

December, 2020: Christmas Party

Marksmen carried on a time-honored tradition at the school: carrying their little buddies on their shoulders in the Christmas Party. Because this year’s party was outside, seniors were able to carry their buddies right in front of the Path to Manhood statue.

The ReMarker

April 16, 2021

Seniors

SENIOR STORIES

Behind the scenes The Class of 2021 shares the inside scoop on some of the oldest and most treasured jokes and stories from our past four years.

The last Roar

hat could 30 teenage boys gathered at the local Tom Thumb on a Thursday night –– the eve of a Lions football game –– possibly be after? Toilet paper. Of course not for its usual purpose, though. It was time for The Roar –– a longstanding senior class tradition in which seniors TP Hockaday seniors’ houses –– although it would look a little different this year. Masks had to be worn, social distancing had to be honored and not everyone could tag along owing to personal COVID-19 concerns. But no matter the obstacle, nothing would ultimately get in the way of the Roarers. After corralling loads of toilet paper, 30 Marksmen roared through the streets of Dallas. Moving in silence, their first targeted house went just as planned: flawless execution, no hiccups. The boys stayed for a while, wrapping as much of the house –– and trees –– as they could. Overtaken by confidence

April 16, 2021

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Seniors

S stemming from their initial success, the pride moved onto a nearby house –– home to another Hockaday senior. Five minutes later the Roarers were gone. This time, their plan fell apart when the Hockaday senior came outside just as the boys were readying to blanket her house in toilet paper. Not wanting to create an issue, the Roarers departed and met back at Tom Thumb to devise their next move. Shortly after, they decided where to go –– and whose house to target –– next. After bombarding the third and final house with toilet paper for 45 minutes, the boys were forced to leave, as the Hockaday senior’s father grew unhappy with the excessive TP-ing that was taking place. The seniors ended up cleaning up the house as a show of goodwill. And while The Roar could only be a one-time occurrence this year owing to COVID-19 and the lack of Lion football games, it’s safe to say the boys definitely made the most out of the one night they’ll ever get to be Roarers.

e’s a man who does things — at least that’s what his campaign poster says. A man who survived an entire grade-wide attempt on his life. A man who did nothing but curl dumbbells and chug banana protein shakes for eight hours straight without getting breaking a sweat. A myth among legends, a king of kings. Your mayoral candidate — in 2023 when the position is up for grabs again — Senior Buck Elliott.

Buck for mayor and his ninth period adventure

REAL DEAL The Buck for Mayor Campaign team used this photoshopped image to adversite senior Buck Elliot.

Harrison’s emails

Behind his cheery demeanor, however, lies a dark past: the infamous “Kill Buck Ninth Period” incident. At first, it was just a normal junior lunch in the Great Hall. Elliott was enjoying a second helping of his favorite Sage menu item, chicken nuggets, when all of a sudden, then-junior Cristian Pereira was filled with jealousy of his hearty appetite and declared that Elliott should be tried and executed ninth period that afternoon. Pereira quickly sent out a rallying cry in the form of a GroupMe event, where hordes of juniors — each apparently sporting their own grievances with Elliott — agreed to show up to the event despite no location being given. Elliott, seemingly unperturbed by his impending doom, nevertheless came to his weekly Tuesday Teaching Technology Across Generations (TTAG) meeting, where Pereira and the others were lying in wait. A face off began. Neither side was willing to make a move. Buck was up against superior numbers, while his classmates-turnedenemies knew that anyone caught by his bearlike fists would be guaranteed a trip to school nurse Julie Doerge. “They just stood there and looked at me because they were too weak to do anything,”

enior Harrison Ingram’s emails to the entire Upper School have become a cherished sight in Marksmen’s inboxes. Since the first schoolwide email was released his freshmen year, Ingram has sent countless emails concerning lost items, basketball leagues and several other topics. The emails are not school-sponsored, but that hasn’t stopped Ingram from reaching out to the community when he’s felt it necessary. “I was in freshmen English with Matthew Epperson,” Ingram said. “He accidentally sent an email to the whole class, and we started talking about what if someone sent an email to the whole school.” Coincidentally, Ingram has a knack for finding lost items, giving him a reason to notify a

large group of people. “I’m always finding phones or AirPods around school,” Ingram said. “I was like, ‘You know what? I’ll just send an email myself,’ and if you’re going to send an email to the whole grade, you can’t make it boring.” Ingram says that writing the emails isn’t a long process, he just writes what comes to mind. “Just naturally, I've always been like a goofy, funny guy.” Ingram said, “I just kind of sit down for a minute or two and just write the first thing that comes to me, no filter.” Ingram treasures being able to offer a comedic break to his classmates. “It's just really an honor,” Ingram said, “to be able to give people some fun in a school where everyone’s so stressed out.”

Harrison Ingram Wed 11/4/2020 3:00 PM To: SMUSStudents

Hey buddies, I'm back again like a boxer in the last round of a fight. I have found ANOTHER pair of AirPods in the gym. The only exception this time is that it was found on the 7th level of the bleachers in the gym. If they are your Airpods come find me with the magic code because I will not give them to an intruder. Yours truly, Harrison

Elliott later reflected on the encounter. “Terrible event, didn’t even die.” Elliott, still not dead, vanished into the deep forest groves of Klyde Warren Park, never to be seen again. Until now.

“I was honored to be named Constituent of the Week,” Manderson said. “I, being a real human being and totally not artificially generated by thispersondoesnotexist.com, am excited to see what good ol’ Bucky boy can do once he gets into office and look forward to all of his exciting ideas on public transportation.” The race for the mayoral position did not Elliott and his campaign team have taken a begin by Elliott’s hands. A secret and elite group brief, month-long hiatus to silently prepare for of highly experienced grassroots politicians saw the upcoming election in 2023, but they are eager hope in the young man as the face of a new era to continue campaigning and finding new ways for the Dallas area. to improve the Dallas Area. “We know his wisdom. His “You know what they say, Is this going in the strength. His grit,” one member of the early bird gets the worm!” newspaper? I can’t read. the campaign said. “We decided one campaign team member Buck Elliott, that it is time for Buck to take remarked. “We hope the Mayor-to-be leadership of the community, community keeps sending in and to take it by means of a grassroots political new ideas for public transportation and helps campaign. Buck is unaware of us, but we trust support our efforts to preserve nature’s beauty in that he is enthusiastic in fulfilling this new the Dallas area.” mission we have given him.” STORIES Luke Piazza, William Aniol, Cooper The first step was to get the word out, so as Ribman students walked onto campus that Monday, PHOTOS William Aniol, Courtesy Buck For they were greeted by hundreds and hundreds of Mayor Campaign Team posters, each simply stating: “Buck for Mayor — He can do stuff.” Students, moved by this rousing message, sought answers. Who is Buck? What will he do as Mayor? Can he do a four-plate deadlift? To meet the sudden surge in popularity 1) Public Transportation from their fans, adorably nicknamed “future “There are many types of it!” constituents,” the Buck-For-Mayor campaign team decided to make an Instagram account, 2) Snack and Nap Time for all buckdallasmayor, where the campaign team “Will be scheduled during math classes.” asked their supporters to help find new ways to develop transportation in the city of Dallas. 3) Blake banned from restrooms “What we quickly found was that there are “No further comment.” many types of transportation: cars, busses, airplanes, taxis, horses, trains, etc…,” another 4) Elections by gladatorial combat campaign team member said. “That’s pretty cool, “You guys won’t win anyway.” and we think everybody should know about that.” 5) No more coleslaw Elliott also began naming his “Constituent of “I don’t like it.” the Week” to honor his enthusiastic supporters, starting with Guy Manderson, advisor and 6) Global Lifting Day now a holiday long-time friend of former U.S. President Barack “It’s July 9. Deadlift four plates or bust.” Obama.

On the TO-DO LIST

THE STAFF

Final ReMarks

The seniors of The ReMarker staff exchange final words with their peers and reminisce about their experiences in the program, along with a few inside jokes.

Robert Pou

Henry McElhaney

Sid Sinha

Jamie Mahowald

Jack Davis

Cristian Pereira

Luke Piazza

Sai Thirunagari

Collin Katz

William Aniol

Trevor Crosnoe

SeMaj Musco

Luke Nayfa

Han Zhang

Rajan Joshi

Cooper Ribman

Alam Alidina

Eric Yoo

Robert Pou

Henry McElhaney

Position: Managing Editor From the staff: Sid, the man behind the microphone and podcast legend himself. The one man on staff who can recognize an “um” just by the sound wave it makes in a recording. As one of the music connoisseurs on staff, your legendary Spotify playlists (especially Bieber, Boybands, and Bangers) playing at production nights and commentary on Taylor Swift’s style are going to be missed next year. We can’t wait to listen to all those podcasts you’ll create soon. Response: Unforgettable. That’s the best way I can describe my time in Pubs. From the design nights to the early morning podcast recordings — thanks for the opportunity to become The ReMarker’s Podfather — I’m the journalist and the person I am because of those who’ve surrounded me. Here’s to y’all.

Jamie Mahowald

Position: Managing Editor From the staff: Jamie, you are the Atlas of the paper (Mr. Cox would love this analogy). You carry all of us on your back, and if you died we think the matrix would literally freeze, and we’d be unable to continue without you. Seriously though, you are one of the most talented guys The ReMarker has ever seen. That being said, we will continue to send you graphic requests to keep you on your toes. Imagine President Jamie Mahowald making us graphics in the Oval Office. Yes, please! See ya when we see ya. Response: This paper really brought out the best and worst in me. I never knew I could simultaneously feel so immeasurably infuriated at and yet so ridiculously proud of one group of guys in my life. But even though we didn’t film enough secondaries to make TJOY, and even though body mag never reached the light of day, I’ll still think of the work we did here as the best and most important way I could’ve spent my high school years.

Jack Davis

Position: Executive Page Editor From the staff: The king of page two, sports updates and bringing Canes to design nights, Jack, you are one of the most reliable members of our staff, and maybe, just maybe, the better Davis (wouldn’t that make you 2021 National High School Journalist of the Year?) You seem to be really good at chess even though you claim you’re not (“I only know two openings.”). Duke blue looks good on you despite what Cristian says, and we will all miss you. Response: Just ignore Cristian’s comments because — come on — we all know Duke blue is better, right? But it’s been four crazy fun, Canesfilled years in Pubs. We’ve only got a little while left, but I’m down for chess whenever, but watch out, I may have a third opening now.

Cristian Pereira

Position: Senior Editor From the staff: Hey “Buzz Guy.” Or should we say “Bugs Guy?” The random noises you make always distract us. Your page two columns sometimes go off-topic. But we don’t know how we’d Focus without you. Cris, aka Kobe 2.0, we wish you good luck at Chapel Hill but we recommend you don’t tell your future classmates about the Duke blue magazine you produced. Response: Hey. Just cause I wear only Carolina Blue doesn’t mean I’ve committed. The color just looks really good on me. I can’t believe I actually ate bugs for you guys, and I can’t believe I accepted the “Buzz Guy” title. But it’s okay. I know you all secretly love my columns. The ReMarker has taught me so much, and I feel so lucky to have been able to work alongside your enormous talents these last four years.

Sai Thirunagari

Position: Assignments Editor From the staff: The man who’s done it all. The most attractive guy on staff (pause). The cover-masterminding, deadline-killingmale-model-esque-magazine-editor-star, Saiger Woods. Even when you’re at Northwestern, we’ll always expect a text from our favorite AsSAIgnments Editor at least 15 minutes before our stories are due since you always seem to tell when we’re going to be late before it happens. Response: Thank you so much to the whole staff for an amazing three years of production week late nights, two seemingly interminable Focus magazines junior year (Alam, couldn’t have done it without you), and numerous missed deadlines that I generously let slip by (y’all know who you are, but don’t worry — I won’t tell Ray).

Collin Katz

Position: Head Photographer From the staff: Collin, without you, The ReMarker would have literally crashed and burned. The countless last-minute photos you’ve taken for the paper almost outnumber all the side-businesses you’ve started. You are truly a connoisseur of all-black outfits, and we’ve loved writing about your music in literally every single newspaper over the last three years. Response: These past four years on staff have taught me so much and given me a sense of belonging on campus. I’m sad that I will never hear Luke ask me, “So what made you pick up a guitar?” again, but I’m sure I’ll get over it someday. I’ll always admire how much time, effort and genuine dedication all of you put into each month’s paper, and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to make the cover photos for this year’s editions.

William Aniol

Position: Endzone Editor From the staff: William A-N-I-O-L. Did we get that right? It’s been so long saying it the other way we almost forgot the original. Seriously though, thank you. Thank you for introducing Taylor Jenkins into our lives. Though he maybe hasn’t quite lived up to the “father-I-neverhad” expectations you set for him, Taylor is special to us because he’s special to you. We loved watching you lead the Sports section, hope you do end up pursuing journalism in college and can’t wait for Endzone? We’ll say it again . . . Endzone? Oh well, maybe next year. Response: Well, the last name jokes are never-ending. I guess y’all just haven’t grown up yet. Seriously though, thank you for allowing me to be a part of ReMarker journalism for the past three years. Never did I imagine as an eighth grader at Renner Middle School that I would know an NBA head coach — and be inside the visitor’s locker room at the AAC — just three years later. And I for sure had no idea that I would be doing it through a high school newspaper. But hey, The ReMarker is just built different.

Trevor Crosnoe

Position: Reviews Specialist From the staff: TCros, you’ve amazed us with the unique Buzz designs you somehow come up with for each issue. You’ve filled Buzz with insightful opinions about hair salons, restaurants and movies. You never really did the carnivore diet, but we’ll let that one slide. We’ve enjoyed having you working by our sides. Journalism wouldn’t be nearly as much fun without you. Response: Being in charge of Buzz this year has allowed me to flourish creatively — I’m glad y’all appreciate my various designs and templates. It’s been a great three years on staff. Thanks to everyone who made them so memorable.

SeMaj Musco

Position: Deputy Endzone Editor From the staff: You haven’t been in-person all year, and some classes probably wondering if you’re still around, but the newspaper and magazine have still felt the huge impact you’ve brought. SeMaj, Your columns on countless topics have been amazing and improve the publications with each one. Even though you haven’t stepped foot on campus this year, you haven’t missed an assignment. The staff’s gonna miss that writing skill and view you bring to each piece you write. Good luck with journalism in the future, and we can’t wait to see what you’ll be writing. Response: My two years on staff flew by way faster than I expected. I’m thankful to Ray and everybody on staff for giving me the space and confidence to write what I honestly felt about whatever the topic was. I’m going to miss the jokes in the suite, stress of hitting deadlines and chilling with everybody in between work. I’m proud of everything we did here.

Luke Nayfa

Position: Sports Editor From the staff: They said you couldn’t do it. They doubted, they hated, but you proved them wrong. One of the most passionate sports editors this newspaper has ever seen, you, Mr. Luke Nayfa, have truly blossomed in your time on The ReMarker. We are so glad you finally learned what spot color is, proud of you for conquering the Sports Junkie and hopeful that you will continue to live by that life motto you use so often: “Harrison, I need a quote.” We can’t wait to see what you do with all your energy and enthusiasm. Response: I really appreciate all the guys that made this experience so special over the years. This group of seniors have accomplished so much over the last three years thanks to the relentless effort from each and every one of us.

Han Zhang

Position: Deputy Focus Editor From the staff: Nobody had conceived going their entire senior year without conducting an in-person interview, but Han, with the help of COVID and your email interviews, you’ve done the unimaginable. With all that extra time in class you save from scheduling interviews and interviewing sources, we still don’t know what’s happening on your computer. Is it anime? Are you designing your page? Or are you playing League? Response: I stand by my position that email interviews are the superior communication format. For one, it means I don’t have to talk to people face-to-face. And for another thing — nope, that’s it. And of course, everyone knows that all the time I saved from interviews went towards scholarly activities. But for real, I couldn’t have made it without you guys. Thanks for the help. I’ll miss you all.

Rajan Joshi

Position: Staff Writer From the staff: RJ Ca$h Money! Sports Junkie connoisseur and master of deadlines, you continue to amaze us with your unceasing good spirits and fun-to-be-around personality. Though you were the last to contribute to our Final ReMarks, we forgive you because you’re so cool. An amazing rapper, YouTuber and podcaster (watch out Sid), you have made quite the impression on us, and we can’t wait to see you succeed down the road. Response: Over the last three years I’ve grown so much, going from staff writer to...staff writer. For real though, being on this paper with you guys has been one of the best parts of high school for me, and I will always cherish the bonds I’ve made with all of you. I am so grateful for every one of you holding me accountable and also helping me out the whole way in everything I’ve done. Thank you all for making this an unforgettable experience.

Cooper Ribman

Position: Brand Editor From the staff: The Discoveries Man. What else is there to say about Cooper Ribman? I mean, I guess you’re good at wrestling, obsessed with Red Bull and meticulous when it comes to having baselines on every single page, but you will forever be “The Discoveries Man” in our eyes. Good luck with the shrine, good luck with your Red Bull addiction and good luck to next year’s staff who will sorely miss your scientific expertise. Response: Deep down, we all know Discoveries is the best section that this publication has ever seen and will likely ever see. I didn’t always like staying up late to finish writing yet another story about a science man, but by the grace of God, an absurd amount of Red Bull Blue and the best group of friends I could have asked for (not necessarily in that order), I got through it. I’ll miss being bullied in Alam’s emails, and I’ll miss each and every member of the ReMarker staff.

Alam Alidina

Position: Opinions Editor From the staff: Whenever we get an email from you, Alam, we know we’re in for a treat. While sometimes we worry about how much time you spend on them, we always look forward to reading your way-toolong, passive aggressive invitations to our next Editorial Board meeting. Thank you for the countless sleepless nights we spent working on your Focus magazines. We loved writing about time travel and trash. Response: Glad the emails hit the spot. And thanks for giving your all to a section where nobody will ever see your byline. It’s been a long few years — or decades if you count the time we spent on Focus — but they’ve definitely been pretty incredible ones.

Eric Yoo

Position: Deputy Focus Editor From the staff: Eric, our beloved Focus deputy editor, what would we do without you? The Pub Suite just wouldn’t be the same without your wry sense of humor and ability to keep Ray on his toes. You are by far one of the most versatile members of our staff. We only regret that soccer kept you from gracing our presence a few Work Saturdays throughout the years. Response: I know I basically single-handedly produced the magazines this year. It’s a good thing I only missed a few Work Saturdays, but pretty sure I was there for a good one or two a year. Regardless, it’s been a great three years, and I have been able to grow close with guys I probably never would have. Thanks to everyone on staff.

7 The ReMarker

Sid Sinha

Position: Perspectives Editor From the staff: Pizza, as one of — if not the — most dedicated man on The ReMarker staff, enduring sunburn to report on the Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate protests. We’re going to miss not being able to steal your fries and Texas Toast whenever you bring your own Canes to design nights, and Jamie won’t ever forget your Chick-Fil-A order again. And considering how many times you’ve avoided giving a personality pitch, who knows if we’ll actually get any more Buzz pitches after you leave. Response: Although your constant thievery of my dinner has left me skinny and malnourished — or maybe that’s just the ginger genes kicking in — you all made every single stressful design night a blast. I may forget my sunscreen, but I certainly won’t forget these incredible four years we’ve spent together. But if you want your money for the smoothies back, you’ll have to beat me in a gardening contest first. Get scammed, suckers, and have fun out there!

April 16, 2021

Position: Managing Editor From the staff: We are forever indebted to you for the blood, sweat and tears you sacrificed in service of the greatest section on Earth (do we even have to say it?): ISSUES. Your leadership on staff has truly impacted the younger guys, and we sincerely hope it is rewarded by a good ‘ol game of Harkness pong. Thank you for keeping us in the TikTok loop, and we hope The ReMarker will be writing about you walking onto the Dartmouth soccer team. Response: Crazy how it’s all coming to an end. You’re right — it’s been a challenging three years. But the memories we’ve created during interviews, production week nights, Work Saturdays and everything in between make it all worth it. Glad you guys know I’m a huge fan of ping pong.

Luke Piazza

Seniors

Position: Editor-in-Chief From the staff: Robert, our fearless leader. Coming in early before Work Saturdays, staying late to ship. Picking up loose ends and doing the dirty work. Yes, you surely would have led The ReMarker to yet another Icebowl victory, but you’ve outdone yourself as Editor-inChief. While you may think Texas is back every year and our school uniforms are childish, we’ll cut you some slack, given that you’re the reason The Dallas Morning News likes us again and every page has its photos linked. And the giant fathead of your face has been a great decorative touch to the Journalism Suite. Response: While we may not have had the Icebowl, y’all can look forward to trouncing yearbook at the “Firebowl’’ in May. Thank you everyone for one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I’ll always look back fondly on the thousands of hours spent with y’all in Pubs. Hook ’em!

The next step

Where the Class of 2021 plans to spend their next few years — from California to Ohio to New Hampshire, senior Marksmen are dispersing across the country.

VT (1) NH (2) NY (11)

MI (1)

RI (3) PA (3)

IL (5) CA (8)

CO (1)

MA (8)

OH (2)

CT (1) MD (1)

IN (4) VA (4)

MO (1)

DC (2)

NC (4)

TN (5)

SC (2) AL (3)

GA (3)

TX (24) LA (1)

April 16, 2021

Seniors

The ReMarker

Alam Alidina UChicago Michael Anderson Georgetown UVA William Aniol Villanova Luke Annett UT UNC Colin Bajec Wake Forest Rahul Banerjee Vanderbilt Georgetown UC Berkeley Jacob Bell Purdue Beto Beveridge Brown Gabe Bines Vanderbilt Blake Broom Texas A&M James Carr U of Alabama Will Chance Claremont McKenna Kit Colson Yale Rex Corey UT Trevor Crosnoe Tulane Jacob Daniels Samford Jack Davis Duke Tristan Doan UVA NYU UNC Abe Echt Indiana Vikram Ekambaram Case Western Buck Elliott UT Colgate Santa Clara Alexander Emery RPI Beau Exall CU Boulder Jackson Fair UMichigan Reid Fundis Santa Clara Chapman Connor Gaffney U of Alabama Jordan Gaines Undecided Luis Garcia Gonzaga Jack Genender UT Trevor Gicheru Oberlin Ethan Goh Texas A&M Southwestern Reed Owen Goldberg Richmond Aayush Goodapaty UChicago Donovan Graves Lehigh Holy Cross Gonzaga Marlon Henderson Emory Wake Forest Tufts Fritz Hesse Texas A&M Matthew Ho Harvard MIT Yale

John Hubbard Sewanee Texas A&M U of South Carolina Blake Hudspeth MIT Knobel Hunt SMU Harrison Ingram Stanford Julian Ivarra Babson Rajan Joshi Syracuse Purdue Anish Karthik Texas A&M U of Rochester William and Mary Collin Katz UT Aayan Khasgiwala UT Emory Tufts Rohan Khatti Tufts Mustafa Latif Rice Jake Laufenberg Notre Dame UNC UMichigan Jamie Mahowald NYU Rikhil Manduva USC UT Henry McElhaney Dartmouth Mike Mendoza U of South Carolina Arizona State Rishi Mohan Harvard UChicago Sam Morgan U of Rochester UT Mark Motlow Sewanee SeMaj Musco Morehouse Louisiana State Florida A&M Josh Mysoré Harvard UPenn Luke Nayfa SMU Andrew Nuth Lafayette Leo Ohannessian UCSB Jack Palmer Santa Clara Max Palys Harvard Ryan Park Cornell UVA Cristian Pereira Yale UNC Dartmouth James Petrikas SMU Luke Piazza Columbia UChicago Tamal Pilla SMU Robert Pou Georgetown UT UNC

Metehan Punar Northwestern USC UCLA Aaryan Puri SMU George Washington Antonio Quiñones UVA Cooper Ribman Harvard Sarbik Saha Brown Daniel Sanchez St. John’s Ajay Schlehuber Santa Clara Richmond Matthew Schopmeyer American Christian Shadle TCU Harrison Siegel Wake Forest Siddhartha Sinha UT Georgetown Rice Ned Tagtmeier UChicago Sai Thirunagari Northwestern Varun Trivedi Rice WashU Georgia Tech Sivakrishna Uppalapati Undecided Michael Vanesko Middlebury Vatsal Vemuri Brown Luke Voorheis SMU Benny Wang UT Klyde Warren TCU Tim Weigman Purdue VPI Mason Westkaemper Dartmouth Charles Wilson Clemson Texas A&M Drew Woodward Vanderbilt Daniel Wu Santa Clara Maxwell Wu Cornell UT Shiv Yajnik Juilliard Columbia Northwestern David Yang Emory Eric Yoo SMU Charlie Zhang UT Rice Han Zhang WashU Jerry Zhao NYU Alexander Zuch UVA

List subject to change. Waitlist decisions not included. Key to abbreviations: UChicago: University of Chicago UVA: University of Virginia UT: University of Texas at Austin UNC: University of North Carolina UC Berkeley: University of California Berkeley NYU: New York University RPI: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute CU Boulder: University of Colorado Boulder MIT: Massachusetts Institute of Technology SMU: Southern Methodist University USC: University of Southern California Sewanee: University of the South UCSB: University of California, Santa Barbra UCLA: University of California, Los Angeles TCU: Texas Christian University WashU: Washington University in St. Louis VPI: Virginia Polytechnic Institute

The ReMarker | April 2021

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