Humans of St. Marks — The St. Marker

by Andrew Lamprea’24

The Student Leftist Association (SLA) is a new club founded by Jacob Cifuentes (24') and Ziad Shawaf (25') that has sparked the attention of many students. It is a subsection of SM politics, a longstanding student-led organization within the school. Since the founding of this club, some questions have arisen surrounding the inspiration and the goals for the club—in this interview with Ziad and Jacob, we answered many of them.

Left to right, Jacob Cifuentes, Ziad Shawaf

Jacob lives locally in Southborough with his father, whom we know as Mr. Cifuentes. He grew up on campus, deeply caring for the community and its connection to the world beyond it. Jacob’s primary intention for creating the SLA, as he would put it, was the “failure of the Marxist Club two years ago”. This references a prior attempt at a left-leaning student-led political organization, which fell through. Jacob felt that with the increasing prevalence of politics in our lives, now more than ever, it was important to engage in conversation around leftist beliefs. He thinks the SLA is much more successful this year, as the club has built a solid crowd of regular members and has been exponentially more productive in its meetings than the older attempt. He is proud, knowing that he has at least started some conversations within the student body about leftism. To Jacob, the club is a safe place for people to question and explore leftist beliefs and their own beliefs, and he hopes it will leave a mark on the students in years to come.

Ziad is an international boarding student from Lebanon and a self-proclaimed Marxist Leninist. He is a passionate political activist, which is evident in his purpose for creating the club—“It was a reactionary movement to the Conservative Club," he stated jokingly. Despite the ideological discrepancies, he elaborated that the Conservative Club's active membership and conversations inspired the SLA. Ziad felt that there was not enough representation of leftists in student-led clubs, and upon this realization, he approached Jacob with a proposal for this club. Ziad strives for this space to build up a pillar of leftist ideals for community outreach and democratic conversations. Ziad seeks to provide a platform for volunteer work and serve the less fortunate areas near St. Marks. Ziad often leads the conversations within the club, offering his knowledge of leftist ideologies and their principles. He is an inspiring and educational speaker, often prompting the entire room to watch in engaged silence while he speaks about the niche facets of Marxist thought.

While Jacob is graduating at the end of this year, he hopes to continue educating others and inspiring productive conversation for the rest of his life, especially in college. Next year, as a senior, Ziad plans to continue running the club. They hope to have more meetings and conversations before the end of the year and happily welcome anyone who wants to challenge or learn from their club.

by Maribeth FitzGerald’25

On Friday, January 19th, students and faculty gathered in the Class of ‘45 Hall to commemorate and celebrate the installation of Mrs. Lohwater and Mr. Caligione as holders of endowed chairs. These honors recognize the exceptional contributions of these recipients as teachers, dorm parents, and coaches. They embody the qualities and follow the mission of St. Mark's, serving as role models to other faculty and students. As Mr. Warren mentioned during the ceremony, “Any of us who know and have observed and have been taught by Rob and Lindsey know that they amply demonstrate these attributes in everything they do every day.”

Mr. Caligione, St. Mark’s alumnus of the Class of 2004, was awarded the Bill and Peg Barber chair as a tribute to William Wyatt Barber Jr. and his wife, Peg. Barber was head of school from 1948-1968, after graduating in 1928. Mr. Corazzini introduced Mr. Caligione with anecdotes from their long friendship, emphasizing Mr. Caligione’s selflessness as he constantly thinks of others before himself: “He’s excited to educate. He knows he can make an impact and his only purpose is to serve others.” Throughout his time at St. Mark's, Mr. Caligione has taught United States History, Advanced United States History, Advanced Government, Micro and Macroeconomics, and Global Seminars in the classroom and has coached Varsity Boys’ Cross Country, Varsity Baseball, and Thirds Boys’ Basketball. His impact on students is profound—Ian Moore (Class of 2021) states that “Mr. C was always helpful...He’s really easy to talk to and has your best interest at heart. It felt as though we were just peers having a friendly talk.” Mr. Caligione included three takeaways for students in his acceptance speech—seeking mentors, finding joy in what you do, and practicing gratitude. He concluded by taking his own advice and thanking St. Mark’s for all it has provided him with over the years—as a student, teacher, and coach.

Following was Mrs. Lohwater’s installment of the Founder’s Chair. In honor of Joseph Burnett, Mac Gallagher (Class of 1961) described the history of our school, our founder, and the award. Since she arrived in 2010, Mrs. Lohwater has served as a Biology teacher, the director of the Taft STEM fellowship, and our sustainability coordinator. Mr. Palmer, a colleague of Lohwater, took to the podium to introduce Mrs. Lohwater and her achievements in her 14 years here. He remarks, “I have learned so much from working with her, and I have grown so much myself as a teacher and person.” Mr. Palmer also included student insights, remarking how “Ms. Lohwater is honestly like a mother figure here. She is always willing to check on me and just listen, as well as push me when I need it...She’s always been someone I’m comfortable talking to about anything, school-related or not.”

In her recipient speech, Mrs. Lohwater mentioned various teachers who stuck out to her throughout her educational journey and emphasized the impact of educators on their students’ lives from her own experiences. She shared videos from previous students telling stories of teachers at St. Mark’s that changed their lives. Mrs. Lohwater closed off by saying, “I can’t let this speech go without mentioning all of you. So this is for you, the students. Of course, you might imagine that teaching all of you—curious, motivated, kind, passionate students—is a joy. And it is, it is an absolute joy. You make me want to be a better teacher every single day—to create an environment where you feel supported to achieve your full potential.” The ceremony concluded with Mr. Warren awarding Mrs. Lohwater with the Founder’s Chair.