St. Mark’s Shifts Community Blocks to the End of the Day

Alice Wang ‘26

St. Mark’s has announced a significant change to its daily schedule for the 2024-2025 academic year. The school's afternoon community blocks, traditionally held early afternoon, will now take place at the end of the school day.

This adjustment moves the afternoon community blocks—a 40-minute period for faculty, club, and affinity group meetings—to 2:25-3:05 PM on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. The change is designed to offer several benefits to students and faculty. By placing community time at the end of the day, the school aims to encourage broader participation in clubs and activities, as students won’t feel pressured to rush back to class afterward. Moreover, students involved in after-school sports or activities may find the transition easier with community time serving as a buffer between classes and extracurriculars. Research shows that cognitive abilities tend to peak between 10 am to 2 pm. By scheduling academic classes during these optimal times, students may experience improved learning outcomes.

Despite these benefits, the schedule shift has raised concerns among students, particularly those with first lunch. These students may no longer have breaks between afternoon classes, which they often use for short naps to recharge before their final class. The loss of this downtime could negatively impact their focus and energy in later periods. Additionally, some students rely on the community block or breaks to catch up on homework. With this time now at the end of the day, they might feel more pressure to skip lunch to complete assignments, potentially affecting their well-being. 

In conclusion, while St. Mark’s hopes that moving community blocks to the end of the day will foster greater engagement in extracurricular activities and optimize academic performance, the new schedule may present challenges for students who need breaks between classes or rely on community time for rest or academic catch-up. Balancing these factors will be key to determining the overall success of the new schedule.

From 90 Day Fiancé to Pokémon Expertise: Meet the New Penn Fellows!

Brynn Leonard ‘26 and Emma Fitzpatrick ‘26

This year, St. Mark’s welcomes two new Penn Fellows: Mr. Parks, a French teacher, and Mr. Brandt, a U.S. History teacher.

Mr. Parks initially wanted to become a doctor. However, after an internship at a hospital during his junior and senior years of high school, he realized the economic complexities of medicine, which turned him away from that path.

Similarly, Mr. Brandt initially pursued a pre-anesthesia route, but his love of music pulled him in a different direction. However, a discouraging professor who viewed music as a mere work without passion led Mr. Brandt to abandon his music education major. Despite these detours, he had always known, deep down, that teaching was his true calling—it just took him a while to figure out what subject to teach. 

When asked for something students would find interesting about them, Mr. Parks quickly told us that he could name every single Pokemon character. Mr. Brandt, meanwhile, shared his behind-the-scenes experience with a 90 Day Fiancé. While working at a tuxedo shop during his senior year of high school, Mr. Brandt observed the show being filmed. He even met the couple featured on the show and correctly predicted that their marriage wouldn’t last!

If ever trapped on a deserted island, Mr. Parks would choose to bring The Awakening as his book and Notting Hill as his movie, while Mr. Brandt would bring Kindred and the movie Hairspray.

In addition to their unique backgrounds, both teachers offered valuable advice to the St. Markers. Mr. Parks said that by not learning a second language, the students are doing the world a disservice. He speaks English, French, and is currently learning Arabic. Mr. Brandt encouraged the St. Markers not to be afraid to do what makes them happy, even if they are the only ones doing it. He acknowledged the human desire to have the comfort of doing things with someone else but explained that stepping outside of your comfort zone and expanding your interests will be better in the long run. 

Even though they have just begun their teaching careers, both have already experienced memorable moments in the classroom. Mr. Parks shared that he fell backward while scooting backward in a chair in front of his class. Mr. Brandt didn’t have an embarrassing story, but he did tell us about a proud moment when casually kicked a music stand after knocking it over, all without stopping teaching. 

Did you know Mr. Brandt is a huge Whitney Houston fan? You heard it here first. When asked what his go-to karaoke song is, he said it was anything by Whitney Houston and Mr. Parks' go-to song is “When Doves Cry” by Prince. 

So far based on their sampling of the Flik menu, Mr. Brandt’s favorite Flik dish is the chicken parm sliders, while Mr. Parks likes the classic chicken tenders with fries. 

Looking ahead, Mr. Parks is excited to watch his students grow, both academically and personally, during their time at St. Mark’s. Mr. Brandt is looking forward to Prize Day, eager to celebrate his students’ achievements and see them embark on their individual paths. 

As their journeys in St. Mark’s begin, both teachers are eager to guide and support their students’ growth. Mr Parks wants his students to remember that their actions and attitudes define them far more than appearances. Mr. Brandt hopes students will embrace their authentic selves and always prioritize self-care.

First Gray Colloquium of the Year: Controversial Yet Captivating

Janina Manaloto ‘26 and Isabelle Lee ‘27

Read about another perspective here: Gray Colloquium: When Humor Crosses the Line

St Mark’s kicks off the Gray Colloquium this school year with Melvin Adams, former team captain of the Harlem Globetrotters and two-time NCAA All-American Basketball player. Adams delivered an engaging speech about the power of small acts of kindness and encouraged students worldwide to follow their dreams, regardless of their circumstances. His childhood was deeply traumatic, and he uses humor as a coping mechanism, which became apparent throughout his presentation.

Adams’ presence on campus was remarkable, as he greeted everyone with an upbeat personality, though some of his comments left some people off guard. His talk included powerful anecdotes that ranged from lighting up someone’s day and preventing their suicide to how he met his wife. His tone at the lunch gathering, however, was noticeably more subdued and focused compared to his more comedy-driven presentation during the main Gray Colloquium.

Opinions among St. Markers vary widely regarding Adam’s presentation. Adams brings a different vibe to Gray, transitioning from a 45-minute lecture to a controversial yet engaging “comedy act” with an underlying message of how kindness goes a long way. While some found his jokes hilarious—filling the auditorium with laughter—others found his humor offensive or unrelatable.

Reverend Solter expressed mixed feelings stating “I loved his message in the first 24 hours about building each other up through love and positivity. But, I think in his talk, his jokes went too far and often contradicted that message." Her opinion captures what some St. Markers felt: Adams’ humor overshadowed his overarching message, leading to this disparity between his message of kindness and the tone of his delivery. 

Despite this controversy, students were quick to stand by Adams’ character, with many referencing his more subdued tone during the lunch gathering. Some speculated that his jokes were intentionally made to arouse controversy to keep the audience engaged and make his message last, though not everyone agreed with this approach. 

During Talk it Out Fridays, a key question was raised: “If we put his jokes aside, can we see his underlying message?” This sparked further debate among the community about whether the controversy surrounding Adams’ remarks ultimately helped or hurt the overall impact and standing of the Colloquium.

While Melvin Adam’s Gray Colloquium left the audience divided, his core message on the importance of small acts of kindness remained impactful for many.

The Presidential Debate and Its Impact on St. Mark’s

Feifei Cao ‘27

Donald Trump (Left) and Kamala Harris (Right) during the presidential debate on September 10th, 2024. 

September 9th, 2024.

Vice President Kamala Harris is actively rehearsing for the highly anticipated and publicized presidential debate, spending significant time in her mock debate studio for preparation sessions. This meeting is held with a team of campaign strategists, communication experts, and specialists, all aiming at the dismantling of the former president. 45th American President Donald Trump has been recovering from an assassination attempt in the ear at one of his rallies earlier this year. He’s choosing which boxy suit and crimson tie to wear tomorrow, while his entourage of assistants is simultaneously managing updates to his legal and public records. Each knows that Tuesday will bring a long day of incessant media, a myriad of rebuttals, and of course, epitomizing to the United States what their campaign is all about. 

The St. Mark’s campus is much quieter. Certain classes, such as Advanced U.S. History and Advanced Government, have been tasked with watching a set duration of the dispute. Before the night of the debate, the Head of School explicitly sends an email to the student body stating how “this evening is best spent on your studies and then subsequently getting some sleep,” inviting students to a post-debate discussion the following day. However, some have put aside the last thirty minutes of study hall to hear the intricate details and amusing declarations. Anouk Shin ‘26, has stayed up to watch the debate for entertainment purposes. One aberrant claim Trump states stands out to her and many others: “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they’re eating the cats.” Anouk expresses how “this is a sad statement to hear [from a candidate],” and a racist attack on immigrants broadcasted to over 65 million viewers. The unsubstantiated claim has subsequently become a widely spread joke, encouraging the unserious connotation of the debate. Regardless, it has also pushed Anouk to urge for more civic engagement within the St. Mark’s community and classrooms. 

Wednesday brought a multitude of political small talk at St. Mark’s: it lined the hallway leading to the Burgess Center, the round table discussions in the English and History Wings, and the clustered rectangular dining hall tables. Students talk about what still lingers in the air after 12 hours; the dreadful, “nation that is dying,” picture painted by Donald Trump, Harris strategically taking the “unusual step” and inviting people to attend a Trump rally, and the 30 false claims thrown around the two debate podiums. Serena Zhao ‘26, details the seminars she had during her Vth Form English and Advanced U.S. History classes, emphasizing the roles and body language of the candidates: “It seemed that Kamala was speaking towards Trump, but Trump was directed towards the audience.” She also mentions how her discussion focused on the disrespect both sides had towards each other, each aiming to tear down the opposing reputation, as well as the ambiguity of Kamala’s stance on certain topics, including hydraulic fracturing (fracking), a procedure used to extract oil from rock formations. 

With election day being less than thirty days away, SM Politics Club co-leader, Yejee Hwang delineates the plan for the upcoming club meeting. She plans to create a discussion space for the upcoming election, compare this debate to the 2020 presidential debate, and spread awareness of voting turnout and the general voting process. With SM Politics, she aims to diverge from the notion that personal sentiments are “taboo to voice if non-conformational,” and normalize and foster more judgment-free discussions involving politics within the St. Mark’s community. Ultimately, the presidential debate encourages St. Mark’s students to stay politically engaged and keep up with the current events of the world, promoting more dialogue and differing perspectives within our community.

Changes in the Student Handbook

Seoyeon Kim ‘26 Ikon Kim ‘27

Students walking down the STEM corridor

As we open a new chapter for the St. Mark’s community with the new head of school, Dr. Ivory Hills, the St. Mark’s school presents the newly updated 2024-2025 Student Handbook. The newly updated student handbook, Dean of Students Liz Agosto says, will “provide clarity and unity in [the St. Mark’s] approach to education and community living.” These changes, reflected in areas such as attendance, cell phone use, dress code, discipline, and technology, align with St. Mark’s School’s core values of respect, understanding, safety, and honesty (RUSH) and its commitment to fostering a positive and supportive environment.

Attendance Policy Enhancements

The revised attendance policy emphasizes in-person learning. The updated student handbook now clearly distinguishes excused and unexcused absences. Excused absences include unexpected emergencies, medical concerns, college visits, and other requests. Any absences that didn’t receive preapproval or aren’t excused by Health Services are considered unexcused. Consequences for unexcused absences can range from sending notifications to advisors and parents to being placed on attendance probation. Students who miss more than eight class meetings in a semester course or sixteen in a year-long course regardless of excused or unexcused status risk their grades and possibly their enrollment. Absences during Saturday classes and Lion Term are also closely monitored. No student may miss more than two Saturday classes within a season or three or more Lion Term classes, as missing additional classes will result in a maximum grade of Low Pass for Lion Term and can lead to academic probation in both cases. These updates are designed to promote in-person learning and to ensure the students make the most of St. Mark's diverse and enriching academic environment.

Revised Cell Phone Rules

Cell phones and earbuds/headphones are now prohibited during school commitments, including classes, practices, chapel, and seated meals. Students must keep their phones off or on “Do Not Disturb” mode during these times. ‭Students with approved health or learning accommodation plan that requires the use of a cell‬ phone may have different policies and procedures around their cell phone usage.‬

Clarified Dress Code

The dress code has been clarified according to the changes made at the end of the last academic year. During academic days, students can wear skirts, pants, khakis, jeans, or shorts, as long as they are of appropriate length and fit. Tops can include collared shirts, sweaters, blouses, and St. Mark’s sweatshirts, but must cover the midriff and undergarments. For formal events like evening chapel and Prize Day, students must wear Formal Chapel Dress with guidelines specifying dress pants, skirts, or dresses paired with blazers, dress shoes, and formal tops. Outside of the academic day clothing must be clean and appropriate, and undergarments should not be visible. Respecting cultural diversity, St. Mark’s also permits traditional formal attire from a student’s cultural background. Hats are not allowed in academic buildings or the dining hall, except for religious or cultural reasons. These updates ensure that students can feel comfortable and confident in their attire, allowing them to focus on their academic and extracurricular pursuits without added concerns about their appearance. 

Expanded Discipline Process

The handbook now explains the discipline process in more detail, addressing different levels of offenses from casual lying to unauthorized visitation to more serious offenses like stealing and drug usage. This tiered approach encourages students to reflect and improve, aligning with the school’s values of respect and honesty.

Guidelines on AI Usage

The handbook includes updated policies on the use of Artificial Intelligence, requiring students to properly cite AI tools in assignments. Unauthorized creation of deepfakes is strictly prohibited and classified as a Level One offense, which could result in dismissal.

These changes were made to align with St. Mark’s values, ensuring a supportive environment for all students. By clarifying policies, the school aims to help student focus on their learning and personal growth. While this article features few of the important sections of the 2024-2025 Student Handbook, it is strongly advised for students and parents to read the student handbook to ensure a positive learning and living environment at St. Mark’s.

For more information, please review the full Student Handbook on the school’s website.

2024 St. Mark’s Cum Laude Induction Ceremony

Laura Xia ‘25

In 1944, St. Mark’s established its own chapter of the Cum Laude Society, which was founded in 1906 under the inspiration of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society, which honored the academic success of students in college or universities. The Cum Laude Society, its name being the latin phrase “celebrate together”, honors the scholastic achievements of students in secondary school. The members of the Cum Laude Society are carefully selected, including only the ones who demonstrate high distinction in academics. 

In each chapter, no more than 20% of the graduating class can be inducted into the Cum Laude Society, with this number not being the standard but only an upper limit. In St. Mark’s, the process of induction is decided by the Cum Laude committee, which is led by Dr. Glomset of the English Department. The committee nominates students from amongst the group that meets a certain minimum standard of grade point average, and then takes a group vote to decide if each nominated student should be inducted into the Cum Laude Society. The voting is based on not only grades but also students’ demonstrated interest and curiosity in various classes. Those who are eager to learn and make the effort to learn are what the Cum Laude Society seeks to award. Since the induction process is highly selective, oftentimes the limit of 20% is not reached.

Announcement of the inductees each year is separated into two rounds, one earlier on in the year and one later. Then by the end of the year, inducted students from both rounds are acknowledged through an all-school ceremony that is preceded by a formal dinner involving the inductees and the Cum Laude committee. It has also been a tradition for promising students of the fifth form to be invited to serve as waiters for the dinner, in hopes that they will be joining the dinner as inducted students next year. 

This year’s Cum Laude ceremony took place on Tuesday, May 7th. The ceremony began with a brief introduction by Ms. Cao of the Cum Laude Society and its chapter at St. Mark’s. Then Dr. Glomset talked about studying the fictitious, as an introduction to Dr. Barnes’s talk later in the ceremony. After his talk, Dr. Glomset introduced the fourteen inducted members of this year and awarded them with certificates. Finally, Dr. Barnes’s talk on the importance of studying what is not real concludes the ceremony, for which afterwards all inducted members are reinvited on stage for a group photo. 

Each year’s inductees have the honor of having their names carved onto a platter that will be displaced on the wall in the space between the English wing and the upper center. The platters form a wall of Cum Laude members every year since 1944, displaying a stunning legacy that will be continued in future years. Unlike other platters, the Cum Laude platters are large and clearly noticeable by its location; its presence encourages students of all forms to strive for academic success in order to one day be acknowledged alongside all past inducted members. The Cum Laude Society establishes in St. Mark’s a valuable tradition that emphasizes academic achievements and celebrates the dedication and hard work of students who exemplify the highest standards of scholarship.

College Athletes Celebration

Maribeth FitzGerald ‘26

On Friday, May 3rd, 2024, St. Mark’s commemorated the 19 VI Form student-athletes for their hard work and commitment to their respective sports that earned them opportunities to play at the collegiate level. The celebration took place in the lower center, where teammates, parents, coaches, and community members gathered to support and congratulate the St. Marker’s.

         At the ceremony, Ms. Ames praised the athletes’ teamwork, leadership, skill, and work ethic. The St. Marker’s wore shirts showcasing their respective universities and colleges that they will represent in their four years after graduation.

        Only 7% of high school athletes go on to play in college and just a mere 2% Division I level. Five will play at the Division I level and 14 at the Division III level. Here is a list of the students:

Baseball 

Chuck Cappello, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Max Dushney, Bates College

John Hegarty, Cornell University

Oisin Lee, University of Notre Dame

Girls Basketball 

Ella Flanagan, Stevens Institute of Technology

Boys Basketball

Sir William Morman III, Haverford College

Devon Reid, Regis College

Field Hockey 

Charlotte Crawford, Bowdoin College

Riley Perkins, Endicott College

Judy Rodolakis, College of the Holy Cross

Boys Ice hockey 

Gannon Austin, Colby College

Austin Borggaard, Sacred Heart University

Andrew Gibbons, United States Air Force Academy

Girls Ice Hockey

Emily LeBrun, University of New England

Riley Perkins, Endicott College

Girls Lacrosse 

Maddie Bazinet, Connecticut College

Boys Lacrosse 

Marc Gadbois, Skidmore College

Squash 

Oliver Machiels, Connecticut College

Rowing

Jacob Cifuentes, Vassar College

Brendan Kelly, Gonzaga University

       The St. Marks staff, teachers, coaches, students, teammates, and other community members are extremely proud and honored that these students represent and continue to represent Lion Pride through their accomplishments, perseverance, and dedication.

Lion Link: A Lions-Developed App

Annabel Zaterka ‘26

Lion Link in Dark Mode

Lion Link is a new app developed by St. Markers of the Advanced Topics: Project Management and Development class. In 2022, four computer science students, Tiffany Ahn '24, Ian Choe '25, James Sabet '24, and Tyler Scaringella '24, came together with the idea of designing a communication platform that would increase the overall efficiency of navigating life at St. Mark's. This is no small feat at a school where information is currently relayed through multiple platforms, including Gmail, Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Sheets, and more. "We noticed a large amount of all-school emails and information scattered throughout various platforms," says Tyler. "We wanted to use our programming knowledge to attempt to create a solution to this. During the 2022-2023 school year, the five students in the class worked to design a website for students. However, this year, when the class grew to eight (Cooper Wang ‘25, Sunoo Jeong ‘24, Kaien Hung ‘25, Erin Rasmussen ‘24) students, they found it more efficient to design an app instead. Lion Link's goal is to be a single user-friendly location where students can find all the information they need daily. 

The class used an adaptive project management approach called agile methodology to quickly scale the product and then make improvements. They are divided into teams: Frontend - IOS, Frontend - Android, and Backend. "We then went into brainstorming/prototyping through frequent scrum meetings in class," says Sunoo, followed by defining tasks, writing code, and debugging. Mr. Loranger notes that students explored a full "stack" of technology to build the application, including MySQL, Prisma, Node JS, XCode/Swift, Android Studio, Asana, Slack, and GitHub. "Most importantly, students used their communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills on a daily basis to achieve the group goals," he says. 

Currently, the app has a calendar and 009 options. The calendar feature was finished just before March Break. It contains each student's schedule, and in the future, the calendar will be expanded to include athletic schedules as well. Furthermore, the 009 feature was used by most of the student body and a few faculty members to alert game runners when they got tagged and tagged someone else and communicate current targets. The app prevented miscommunications during the game and heightened the excitement because every student had access to a real-time count of how many players were left. "It took a year to build the app itself, but the fun thing about 009 is that it only took us a week and a half to build all the features," explained Tiffany. 

The app has a lot of potential for expansion. Looking ahead, Lion Link aims to expand its offerings to include additional features such as the daily lunch menu, club information, athletic information, and even a lost and found feature. Lion Link has already begun impacting the St. Mark's community, and students can not wait to see what comes next!

St. Mark’s Grants (2023-24)

Ian Cho ‘26

Picture of the Warrens with Grant Recipients: Henry Wang ’25, Rory Hutchins ‘25, Ryan Kim ‘26, Matthew Lee ‘27, Jihu Choi ‘25, Lori Cui ‘25, Teni Ogunjumo ‘27

St. Mark’s offers a diverse array of grants, each with their distinct mission: Class of ’68 V Form Fellowship, A.A. Jones Family International Studies, Experiential Project, Matthews Fund, and Thomas H. Kean ’53 Fellowship. The Warren Scholars Grant has been added this year to honor the tenure and legacy of Mr. and Dr. Warren as they prepare to depart the St. Mark’s community. Reflective of the Warrens’ contributions at St. Mark’s, the Warren Scholars Grant will support students with a genuine passion for environmental sustainability, global citizenship, and ensuring community and belonging. What are some of the students pursuing with their grants this year?

The common misconception around grants at St. Mark’s is that they are only offered to V-form students. However, many underformers are using such grants to pursue their passions. Rising sophomore Matthew Lee plans to provide wellness support for visually impaired students through museum visits, a computer camp, and a theater education. He “found out about the grant during orientation and then at the school meeting.” Fascinated by the opportunity to pursue his passion further, “[he] met with Dr. Worrell to find out more.” He reveals that the motive behind applying for the grant was that “[he had] started a non-profit organization to help blind students, so [he] wanted to fund activities during the summer for them using the grant.” Read more on Matthew’s inspiring project under the Matthews grant. 

Teni Ogunjumo, another rising sophomore, aims to address the “lack of representation in AI education” amid the rapidly growing technology. This summer, she will attend an AI4ALL Program at Stanford to gain insights into “both technical knowledge and practical skills” and how AI can be used to solve our world’s problems. She has been selected for the Kean Fellowship grant. Learn more about Teni’s project here.

Lori Cui ‘25 has been selected for two grants this year, the Class of ‘68 and the Kean fellowship grants, to pursue her passions for debate, social justice, and public policy. She said she applied for the grants because she felt there weren’t many “resources to support the debate program… so we wanted some financial support to continue to go to competitions.” For her Class of 68 Fellowship grant, she has collaborated with Condy Bao ‘25 to provide St. Mark’s students who are passionate about debate with access to various debate tournaments. Entering debate tournaments often imposes a financial burden on many students, so the grant will allow students to follow their passions without financial barriers.

She will use the grant funds for transportation and commuting to equity conferences as a Next Gen Activator Fellow representing St. Mark’s. She reveals that transportation has always been hindering the pursuit of her passion, but the grant allowed her to attend various conferences to “amplify [her] voice and contribute to the learning experience of [her] peers.” By pursuing her grant, she describes how “[St. Mark’s] is automatically invited to the conference, and [she] cannot wait to bring fellow St. Markers to learn more about social justice history and how to continue progressing for equitable change today.

Once again, a warm congratulations to the Grant winners of this year. The St. Mark’s community is truly excited to see the students' impact on the school and society. Learn more about the application process and the grant's missions here.