Gray Colloquium: When Humor Crosses the Line

Seoyeon Kim ‘26

Photo of Melvin Adams presenting for Gray Colloquium

Read about another perspective here: First Gray Colloquium of the Year: Controversial Yet Captivating

Melvin Adams' visit to St. Mark’s left a lasting impression—but not always for the right reasons. While his upbeat energy and message about small acts of kindness resonated with some, his racially and sexually charged jokes came off as offensive and inappropriate for a school-wide audience.

One primary example of his offhanded racial jokes included when Adams referred to one of our student leaders, as "dark chocolate.” Adams proceeded to bring the leader on stage simply because, as Adams stated, this student is Black. Another statement had sexist undertones when he repeatedly told the girls not to think about their "hips and thighs," which ironically draws attention to the very things he claimed we shouldn’t focus on. This reaction is a classic example of ironic process theory—the more we try to suppress certain thoughts, the more prominent they become. Meanwhile, the message for the boys was simply about kindness and dreams. The stark contrast was unsettling, to say the least.

The subtly offensive comments didn’t stop there. In a class visit, he compared a student to Kim Kardashian, based on her hair and skin color—a comparison loaded with problematic implications given Kardashian’s sexualized media presence. He also made an insensitive joke to a student of Korean descent by saying "Saranghaeyo kimchi." Although that student didn’t seem deeply offended, the comment reinforces casual stereotypes that shouldn’t be normalized in a diverse community like ours.

What frustrates me most is that many students brushed off these remarks as harmless jokes. But humor like this, especially in a required school event, has a way of subtly reinforcing biases about race and gender. As one teacher pointed out, they'd likely be fired if a faculty member had made those same comments.

These ingrained stereotypes and microaggressions are the very issues we aim to diminish at St. Mark’s, and we should not passively accept such language. I do not intend to diminish those who enjoyed his humor, but rather, to encourage all of us to think more deeply about the messages we absorb, even when they seem harmless. We are taught to be conscious of what influences us and what tries to persuade us, whether with intention or without. We must be awake, walk the world with a critical lens, and challenge the ideas that don’t align with the values we uphold. Adams may not have intended harm, but intention doesn’t erase impact. St. Mark’s deserves speakers who can inspire all students—without resorting to offensive humor.

What New Students Are Saying About St. Mark's

Aiden Lee ‘28

Photo at the front area of St. Mark’s School, facing the new dorm.

With a month into the fall term, new St. Mark’s School students are beginning to find their rhythm as they navigate academics, extracurricular activities, and the community’s unique culture. As they continue to adjust to the school environment, many students are already sharing positive reflections about their experiences so far.

Several new students mentioned the welcoming atmosphere of the St. Mark’s community. Gianna Zhang, a third former, expressed, "Coming [to St. Mark’s] is very welcoming; people here are very nice. Classes are hard but still good." This sense of warmth and support is echoed by Melanie Elias, another third former, who shared, "My experience was very interesting. I was nervous at the start, but now I am getting better. And it was the best decision I had ever made." Another new student appreciated the close-knit environment at St Mark's. Chauncey Brown declared, “I'm settling in well at St. Mark's, and I like fitting in with everything. The classes aren't too hard either.” While getting used to a new community is not always easy, most students feel comfortable and are able to focus on making new connections and enjoying their time at school.

For some students, however, adjusting to academics was a challenge. Luke Aldershaw, a third-form transfer student, remarked that there was a “big difference” between his middle school and St. Mark's School. Now, classes are “an hour longer,” and “the homework is harder.” But, he still likes school very much. “So far, I'm really enjoying it,” he noted. Allegra Diodati, another third former, also commented on balancing her studies and school life: “Sometimes I have a lot of homework and sometimes I don't, but I really like it. It's pretty nice to get into a consistent routine.”

Many students use sports activities as a way to balance the demands of rigorous academic courses. Jeremy Ndegawa, for example, shared his enjoyment of sports at St. Mark's: “School is a bit tough and different but it's pretty good, and I love football practice. The experience here is different in a good way and the bonding is really good.”

Despite such difficulties, students appreciate the many opportunities at St Mark's. Whether it's sports, academics, or personal growth, incoming freshmen seem to feel the benefits of this community. Ethan Ng says, “I really like it here. I like everyone here. I like sports. I like academics. I like everything.” As the students continue their lives at Mark's, they will face many more challenges and successes, but one thing is clear: the warmth of the St. Mark's community and the support of their peers and faculty will guide them through whatever comes their way.

Reflecting on Community Day With Jason Craige Harris

Ian Cho ‘26

Photo from Community Day in the Class of ‘45 Hall

Community Day, formerly known as C&E Day, is an opportunity for members of the St. Mark’s community to gather and engage in workshops in order to foster understanding, empathy, and respect for our school’s diversity. The event is a crucial step to ensure an inclusive and equitable school culture. This year, the community gathered in the Class of ‘45 on September 14th with Jason Craige Harris, a researcher, educator, and strategist in community and equity. With his captivating eloquence and profound understanding of fostering learning environments, Harris inspired discussions between students and faculty on “How to Talk Across Differences.” 

Harris touched upon a variety of factors contributing to a successful dialogue across differences. He highlighted the importance of empathy: understanding and acknowledging what someone else may be going through. Harris revealed that people often make premature judgments about others without considering their perspectives. He also commented on recognizing the intent vs. impact of our words and actions, even when saying seemingly harmless jokes. After Harris’s initial keynote presentation, the students split up into their respective advisory groups to discuss questions relating to how the topics discussed in his talk can apply to the St. Mark’s community:

What can be challenging about dialogue? And how have you worked through those challenges?

In response to the first question, Ava Braccio ‘27, stated, “Being vulnerable can be hard when two people aren’t that close.” Nevertheless, she recommended that something as simple as “initiating conversations by saying ‘hi’ in the hallways” can overcome such challenges.

Vaughn Kim, ‘27, explained that dialogue can be difficult when you “don’t have a lot of commonalities with the other party”. However, he believed everyone could work through these challenges by “asking others about their days,” allowing people to have “deeper conversations across differences in the future.”

Where do we already have spaces for dialogue?

Elijah Abraham ‘26 highlighted the various affinity group meetings hosted throughout the school year as an exemplary space for conversations. In particular, he enjoyed the collaboration between the GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance) and CFG (Christian Fellowship Group), where students discussed common misconceptions about the relationship between Christianity and the LGBTQ+ community.

Why is dialogue integral to a healthy society?

Chloe Kim ‘26 explained that understanding is integral to a healthy society because “we want to make sure that everyone in our community feels respected and can thrive… Dialogue is a great way to communicate those needs.”

Overall, St. Mark’s is a diverse community with students from various cultural backgrounds; the 377 students from this school come from sixteen different countries meaning that everyone can have different experiences, interests, and perspectives. Thus, Community Day with Jason Craige Harris marked an incredible start to the year by encouraging students and faculty to foster a community built on empathy, equitability, and inclusivity, by understanding and talking across our differences. 

Religion at St. Marks

Andrew Lamprea ‘24

St Mark's School is a prime example of what a religiously affiliated institution like a boarding school should strive to be in today’s modern age. A far cry from the stereotypical oppressive religious boarding school, SM strives to promote the importance of personal choice, and the ideals of perennialism. This is all through the efforts of our religious faculty, namely Reverend Barbara Talcott and Reverend Katie Solter. Their openness to different perspectives and opinions in the classroom, as well as their enthusiasm when implementing religious aspects of different cultures in chapel services create a welcoming and warm environment for any budding theologian. 

Boarding schools, especially in the northeast, have a bad reputation when it comes to religious affiliation. Given their history of cruelly being used to convert indigenous people to speaking English and practicing christianity, this comes as no surprise. This reputation is broken however, when taking a look at cases of schools like St marks, which strive to open their students to as much religion as possible. In cases like our school, it is important to note the emphasis that to participate in the religious community is entirely up to personal choice, and that no one is forced to be a part of any denominational community. The chapel services are run in a way to allow any religion time to practice their own form of worship, as well as to emphasize the chapel as a platform to celebrate students and faculty first and foremost. Although episcopal thinkers are often more open to other religions in their own right, this very noticeable departure from a specifically christian atmosphere leads me to say that the label of  “episcopal” is a misleading nomer regarding the religious state of our school. 

Instead, if forced to give our religious community a label, I would call it a proponent of “perennialism”. Perennialism is the sect of philosophy which believes that there are bits of truth in all other sects of thought, and seeks foremost to teach its followers to think critically and open themselves to all forms of knowledge and philosophy. These ideals are clearly present in the St Marks community as shown in the course selection and the prayer selections for our chapel services. Not only is every student required to study all three of the abrahamic religions, but the religion department also offers courses suited for eastern religious thought, roman religious thought, celtic religious thought, and secular philosophy. Students who are interested in religion find this selection plentiful, filled with a wealth of knowledge to gain. It is hard to feel as though unique religious thinkers are stifled, as our clergy encourage and commend different cultural and religious prayers and traditions being brought into our inter-faith chapel. From a celebratory feast at the end of Ramadan, to a slew of hindu prayers and teachings being used as our readings during chapels, the school is sure to represent and embody the values of a global religious office. 

As someone who came to this school as a skeptical, judging atheist, I can say with certainty that my experience at this school has been nothing but positive. I was immensely worried that I would feel indoctrinated into the christian identity of the school, but instead, I was free to make my own judgments and come to my own conclusions about practices, cultures, and ideologies. It was this freedom that eventually led me back to finding my own faith, a journey best taken alone. Though I did have to come to religion on my own, St Mark's school was surely there for every part of my own personal journey to keep pushing me forward, and support me when I was lost. It is this support of universal knowledge and a championing of a variety of religions that separates St Marks from other religious institutions, and sets it as a shining example of what an institution such as this should strive to be.

C&E at St. Marks

by Andrew lamprea’24

The C&E Department at St. Marks has been a point of contention over the past couple of years. Some believe that the department is too pervasive in student life. Others believe the opposite, that the department does not do enough to be an effective body. The point of this article is to, objectively, give information regarding how some members of the student body feel about the department. The selection of students represents a multitude of St. Marks experiences, and gives a wide variety of backgrounds to hopefully reflect how different facets of the community think. This article should serve as well to give insight into the intersectionality of these sects of the student body, showing exactly where we agree and disagree on this topic. The selection includes Diane Kwon, a passionate liberal and one of the student leaders of SM Politics. Her repertoire of C&E experience includes being a former pathways prefect, and one of the most prominent speakers on politics in the current senior class. Ezio Salimbeni is another prominent figure in the political circles of the school, standing on the other side of the ideological spectrum from Diane. He is one of the current leaders of the conservative club. Brendan Kelly is a current pathways prefect, and represents the more moderate breed of liberal within the student body. They give a compelling insight into the student aspect of the C&E office, as they currently work with them. Finally, we have Jeamilett Martinez, an avid critic of some of the more unsavory aspects of the school community, and co-leader of the Native American affinity group. Additionally, Rick DaSilva gave a compelling recount of his experience as C&E head over the past year and a half, and what it has meant to him. Noticeably, all of these candidates are VIth formers, chosen because they have had around an equal amount of experience with the C&E office before and after its major changes in the past years. 

The questions I asked these students were as follows: What do you think is the biggest success of the C&E office? What about the biggest area for improvement? What, in your opinion, is the role of the C&E Department in the St. Marks Community? The students would have many different nuances to their answers, but also some common connections in their sentiments. 

What do you think is the biggest success of the C&E office? What about the biggest area for improvement?

According to Diane, the biggest successes of the C&E office have happened in years prior. She thinks that this year especially, there has been a noticeable lack of communication between the office, and the students who are in a position to help them. She hopes to see the office improve on this failing in the future.

Ezio states that he does not see the effects of the C&E office very much from his point of view. He said, “I cannot name a biggest success or area of improvement from the C&E office, because honestly, I don’t know any effects they've had on the community at all”. 

Countering Ezio’s criticism, Brendan explains that the biggest success of the department is normalizing having difficult discussions, and constructive discourse about current events that benefit any student who wants to learn. However, they also explain that “As an office, we are shooting too big right now. We need to stop treating symptoms, and start treating the roots of the issues we see here at the school.”

Jeamillett agrees with Ezio and Diane, saying that she wished the C&E department would address the actual issues in the school community. She thinks that the Office simply doesn't do enough to make an impact on student’s lives. She thinks they should have more community oriented events in the future. Her idea of a biggest success so far is the Wednesday morning talks done by Mr. DaSilva, though she notes that that policy does has some flaws.

What, in your opinion, is the role of the C&E Department in the St. Marks Community?

Diane thinks the C&E department should fit the role of a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) figure of authority within the community. She thinks that the office served more of a purpose in years prior when this was its priority, and thinks the office’s new priorities leave some members of the community who relied on that DEI role vulnerable and without a real voice in the community. 

Ezio sharply criticizes the C&E office and its role. He believes the C&E office serves a rather performative role. Its policies often do not accomplish a meaningful amount for the vast majority of the student body, but rather serve as bragging points for the school to say they are addressing the issues in the student body.

In contrast, Brendan believes that the C&E office should serve the role of educators for the student population. They would state that “I don't know how the rest of the school sees us, but I for one think we do serve that purpose”.

Similar to Brendan’s words about serving the community, Jeamilett believes the role of the office is to introduce communication and collaboration in the community, bringing the grades together. She thinks communication is the key to a healthy community. 

In addition to the student perspective, Rick DaSilva, our current C&E head was also interviewed. Mr. DaSilva thinks that the C&E office has gone through a number of necessary changes in the past year and a half, with the eventual goal of completely transforming the office from its role in years prior. In contrast to Diane’s opinion, he thinks the responsibilities inherent with his position in C&E are more than just maintaining a DEI(Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)-type office. He thinks that the point of the office is to strengthen the school community, doing everything in its power to maintain the past traditions that give the school its individuality and character, while addressing some of the more distasteful aspects of our history in a healthy manner. While DEI is important in his eyes, it strengthens only some branches of the community rather than the greater student body. DaSilva also supports the doctrine of optional meetings, saying that he thinks making events mandatory only drives the students away from actually wanting to participate in an active SM community. When asked the prior of the two questions given to students, Mr. DaSilva had revealing answers. “I see every new student who shows up to one of these optional events as an individual success” he said. The ultimate success then, is the culmination of all of those students who choose to actively be a part of our school community. Every instance of a student choosing to go to an optional breakfast conversation (held almost every wednesday), instead of taking a sleep-in, is a major success on the part of the C&E office in his eyes. With aspirations of creating a tight-knit and connected community also come some inevitable issues. The biggest of these, in DaSilva’s eyes, is communication with the students and student leaders. “I have had multiple instances of students judging me and the office based only on rumors they heard from other students.” he claimed, illustrating the apparent disconnect between parts of the student body and the reformed office. 

These are but a few examples of different opinions, but they are varied enough to draw some conclusions from. First, there is a noticeable and undeniable lack of meaningful communication between the C&E office and its critics amongst the students. This has led to a number of misunderstandings and failings on both sides, and must be addressed no matter what direction the office goes towards in the future. Another conclusion that can be drawn from the polled opinions is that most students actively want to have those conversations about and with the office. There is definitely a desire on both sides to reconcile the differences within the school, and strengthen our community accordingly. There are issues, of course, with the current relationship between the department and population of the school, but these issues can be solved, and a solution is being worked towards. St. Mark’s is onto a good start, with both parties eager to talk to the other, and have meaningful discourses that will build our community into a stronger version of itself.

A Tour Around the Unseen Spaces on Campus

by andrea xu’25

Have you wondered what keeps St. Mark’s running? Do you ever wonder what the lives of the custodians and the facility staff ever are like? Who pulls the string of the heating system? Who takes care of the fire alarm? 

To answer these questions, the Exploring the Archive club toured the power plants, sewage treatment plants, and the underground tunnels on-campus on January 11th. As the founder of the club, I wanted to get a glimpse of what these publicly “invisible” spaces have to offer, and share them with the members. Though they are not what people normally think about when it comes to the school's history, sites like power plants and the underground tunnels are equally essential to the operation of the school. 

I contacted the Director of Facilities, Ms. Mullin, to schedule a tour beforehand. In addition to Ms. Mullin, I was joined by Mr. Lyons, who is the advisor of the club, and Mr. Capenito, who works in the facilities. For a plumber like Mr. Capenito, his working hours span from 6 AM to 2 PM in the afternoon. All workers are on a rotating on-call schedule to address emergencies. Custodians have extra hours: in addition to the standard 6-2 schedule is the night shift. 

Across the School Street is the facility house: Mauro’s grounds building, named after the Mauros. Mauro is a familiar name to many St. Markers because we all go to Mauro’s Village Cafe. The Mauro family is a prominent local family in Southborough and served in the town for over a hundred years. For instance, two Mauros were the chiefs of the Southborough fire department. 

The first stop was the sewage treatment. Surprisingly, the smell was not as bad as I thought. This is because the school partners with an outside company that uses micro-bacteria to process solids. According to Ms. Mullin and Mr. Capenito, St. Mark’s gets its water from the Southborough water, which pulls from the Quabbin reservoir. Within the school are multiple water filters. 

According to Mr. Carpenito, the school gets its power from the National Grid. However, because the school owns the solar farm, which collects electricity for the NSTAR (a utility company in Massachusetts), the school also gets a discount from the National Grid. 

The heating system mostly relies on manual management. Certain areas in the school, such as the STEM building, the Putnam Family Arts Center, and the new building have their own Building and Management system (B&M), which is monitored on the computers. In contrast, the main building is much more challenging to manage because it is too old to get updated with a new heating system. For those of us who live in the building all yearlong, the white pipes overhanging the hallways in the main building are fiberglass, which is used to improve insulation in the building. Mr. Capenito had visited other boarding schools in the region, such as Deerfield and Groton. He claims that these schools have similar gas and oil systems as us, but some are a little more updated.

Most St. Markers find the fire alarm a nuisance. Mr. Capenito elaborates that most of these fire alarms are called trouble alarms (instead of emergency alarms), which are often triggered by faulty sensors. Thankfully, the fire alarms are sub-panel installations. This means that, for example, if an alarm was triggered in the Theriot House, it would only ring in T-house and the alarm would not reach the rest of the school. 

After visiting the sewage treatments, we walked across the street to the power plants house, lying adjacent to the Health Services cottage. In 2007, St. Mark's updated its power plants to meet Massachusetts' environmental laws and make them more efficient. The power is converted either to run on oil or natural gas — for the past six years, the school primarily ran on gas because the price of gas was lower than that of oil. Mr. Capenito is proud that the school is aware of its carbon footprint in aligning with state’s requirements in order to limit pollution and toxins to be released into the air. 

Coming back to the issue of insulation and heating in the main building, Mr. Capenito pointed out that the insulation is very outdated. Hot water circulation, for example, is a perennial problem for those residing in Main. Because the building is old and its pipings are not equipped to meet the high demand of the building to run, it is hard to satisfy all the occupants in the building efficiently. Therefore, Mr. Capenito and his colleagues proposed adding circulation pumps throughout the building. Another strategy he uses to improve circulation is to give the shower heads lower flows: the standard water flow is 3.5 gallons per minute, whereas the shower flow in Main is 1.25 gallons per minute. 

In the past, when the school boilers ran on burning coal, an alternative to detention or other punishments was picking out slates. This means that students had to pick out piles of coal pieces because the coals did not burn sometimes. It was a long tradition— it was abolished in the early 2000s. Some older faculty like Mr. Warren certainly knows. Though St. Mark’s stopped using coal way before the 2000s, St. Mark’s had kept the term as a way to describe punishment for students. He added that “this was a very tedious and dirty job!” The labor could also be sharp and dangerous. 

After a walkthrough of the power plants, a covert path brought us to the underground tunnels. Holdovers filmed many scenes in the tunnel - where the kids fought and chased each other around in the school basement. 

In my follow-up conversation with Mr. Capenito, he recalled that when he worked on the attic above Gaccon one day, he found an old newspaper from around 1912 that reported the sinking of the Titanic. He found it on the wall with stuffed newspapers, which were used for insulation. Another time, Mr. Capenito found a vintage coke can while he was in the basement of the main building. He disclosed that the black box theater used to be a Fives (a sport similar to handball) Court. St. Mark’s had one of the five Fives courts in the country until 2001. Groton and St. Mark’s used to hold annual Fives competitions. Personally, I think these findings are not coincidental. The testaments of time and history, along these lines, show that St. Mark’s is still a quintessential boarding school. 

As a maintenance worker, his favorite part of his job was these unintentional discoveries of the school history. In his own words, “to think there were students in the same hallways in 1865 that students are walking today in 2024 is amazing!” 

Student Opinions about SDC Trials: How Should We Change it?

by Anouk Shin’26, Ian Cho’26, and Karry Kim’25

We are all familiar with the silence that fills the school meeting at the announcement of SDC. This announcement is a result of a Student Disciplinary Committee meeting, a unique process at St. Mark’s. Among the students, the SDC process is a delicate topic to address, and some recurring opinions have emerged, and are shared anonymously in this article. 

However, before having this discussion, it is important to understand the specific procedures during an SDC meeting. Most students have a general idea of the role of the SDC, yet very few understand the specifics. 

First, once the offense is done, the dean of students, the dean of academics, and the head of the school decides if an SDC hearing is appropriate for the gravity of the student’s actions. Prior to the hearing, the student writes a statement to provide insight into the event. If a faculty member was involved in the reporting of the incident, a faculty statement is also made. The statements and any other relevant materials are provided to the committee during the hearing. The head of the SDC begins the hearing by briefly outlining the process and asking the members to introduce themselves. The committee then asks various questions to the student to better understand the event, the student’s perspective, and the desire to improve. Then, the student exits. The advisor and a peer of the student each provide a character statement. Questions are asked to the advisor but not the student. Then, the advisor, peer, and the head of school exit, and the committee composed of both students and faculty discusses and narrows down to the appropriate response. Finally, an official recommendation is made by the committee, and Mr. Warren either accepts the recommendation or can modify the decision.

Once the decision is made, the committee creates three points to be shared during the all school SDC announcement. Importantly, all of the information shared during the hearing remains confidential.

(For further information, visit page 39 of the student handbook.)

In a typical 30 to 40-minute session deliberating the decision, the student and faculty committee are given the typical level of punishment that a student with a similar offense. Different student offenses are categorized into different levels of offenses, and although there are no fixed punishments for students, the handbook states that “patterns do evolve over time”. Though this categorization helps move the process more efficiently, one concern is the reliance on these categories and “patterns,” rather than a deeper understanding of the unique circumstances and context of each offense. 

Another concern is the intense pressure on the students in the SDC process. In the student testimony session, students are asked questions about their offenses. Though these questions are meant to help the committee members “clarify the circumstances and/or the student’s response to what they have done” according to the student handbook, they also put students under immense pressure, making it difficult to think clearly. An account from a student who has been in the process says that they felt “stressful, pressured, and confused,” and felt like their “mind went blank when the members started asking questions”. There is a need for a better way to achieve the goals of hearing student statements, which is to gain a better understanding of the case rather than to punish the student. 

Both these topics of concern stem from the blurred purpose of the SDC hearings; less focus is given to deciding the most adequate punishment for the students. In general, the SDC process should put greater emphasis on gaining a deeper understanding of each case and to do so, there should be a more supportive and understanding environment for the students. It is also crucial to separate their punishments from the process of the SDC.

Thoughts About C and E Day

by izzy mundel’25

On January sixth, just as students came back from a long winter vacation, the St. Marks community gathered together for Community and Equity Day. A day, as the name suggests, to foster better relationships and a more inclusive environment at SM. Huddling together in the PFAC, we first listened to a panel discussion by five inspiring individuals who all strive to create more inclusivity and equity within their own communities. Each of the individuals' own individuality helped them provide St. Marks with advice that was unique to different environments and situations. Their individual positionalities allowed the community to make connections with their own lives, but also to empathize with and learn about people that may be different or have different experiences from their own. After this insightful conversation, we then split up, the student body into their respective sports teams, while the faculty stayed together, for a hands-on workshop with a purpose: to speak freely about our identities and what makes us different inside the St. Mark’s community. Being vulnerable is something that within the hustle-and-bustle environment at SM we don’t get to do a lot. It’s hard to speak openly about your own individuality and uniqueness when surrounded by a classroom full of people that you may not know individually or trust with that information. However, this is what made C and E day so thoughtful. The workshop opened up a space to be open and vulnerable with people you saw every day at athletic practices, that you hopefully do know and trust. It allowed for a comfortable discussion between people about their unique identifiers, and how that informs who they are at St. Marks. 

In general, I believe the day was a success. The panel offered interesting perspectives and advice about fostering a supportive and inclusive environment, and the workshop created a much-needed space to be vulnerable with our peers. That isn’t to say that St. Marks don’t have more work to do, it does. One day a year where the community comes together and each person shares their identity isn’t enough to create an inclusive and supportive environment all year long. It takes daily work, from the students, to the faculty, to the staff, in classrooms, in dorms, in the hallways, in the dining hall, to create an environment where people feel heard, respected, and belonged.

Opinions on Flik: New Flik Setup

by Jasmine Liu’25

Photo: Karen B. Bento featuring the St. Mark’s School dining hall

The end of the long winter break marked the beginning of numerous changes such as the new year, mid-year exams, and, unexpectedly, a new FLIK dining setup. 

Last year, the FLIKand dining hall setup largely stayed consistent. When you first walked to the FLIK kitchen, you would be greeted by the tall stacks of plates right outside the entrance to the servery. There would be a long sequence of main dishes, typically replicated to accommodate two lines for the influx of hungry teens. The left would feature a small table of dessert and breakfast options for students with gluten-free diets. The servery would feature the meal’s main dishes as well as vegetarian alternatives if applicable. At breakfast, the last section would have oatmeal with a variety of sweet toppings including chocolate chips, M&M's, and coconut sprinkles. Lunch and dinner would have pasta and sauce options in this area, accompanied by a stack of bowls. After choosing from the main options, students would proceed to the next area with the bread (different bagels and bread slices), cereals, drinks (soda, water, coffee, milk), and one or two dessert options. When students got to the dining hall, they would be able to also add options from the salad bar (or the fruit and yogurt bar at breakfast). During lunch, the soup section in the main dining area and the panini bar in the small dining hall would also be available for students to choose from.

Yet, with feedback from faculty and students, the new year brought about many changes in the FLIK setup. First, FLIK added a noodle bar to the main dining hall where students could make their own noodle dishes. The bar would have pre-boiled noodles (typically soba or lo mein) in a separate container to prevent the available noodles from getting soggy in the soup. There would be a separate section for soup, with miso soup and chicken broth being the usual options. Students can add as many toppings of green onions and tofu as they would like to the noodle dish. Chopsticks and spoons would lay next to the noodles and soup selections. Second, FLIK increased the variety of desserts available. In the past, desserts would revolve around pudding, rice krispies, dessert bars, and cookies. However, students have now been able to eat cupcakes, cheesecakes, eclairs, and other treats thanks to FLIK! Third, FLIK added a new section of snacks between the water and coffee machines, with snacks featuring goldfish, pistachios, and granola. Students could grab a plastic or paper cup nearby and simply fill the cups with these snacks to take on the go in the case of post-meal hunger.

Last and most prominently, FLIK drastically changed the setup of their previous services. First, the staff moved the gluten-free options for the main options and desserts to the room adjacent to the servery. The breads and bagels also got rearranged in fancier drawers and setups. The water machines were moved to accommodate the added snacks, while the desserts were moved to the main dining hall. The salad and soup bars also shifted around; the soups moved to the small dining hall to accommodate the location of the new noodle bar.

With these drastic changes in the FLIK setup, some students expressed their surprise. “It’s taken a while to get used to for sure,” Sam Mundel’25 remarked. Fortunately, though, many students have noted improvements in FLIK dining and dessert options. “The food is really good now!” Diana Oh’24 exclaimed, “The desserts are amazing and the quality improved for sure!” Other students also affirmed that the desserts became more “innovative”  and hoped that the quality of the treats would be consistent for the rest of the year. The tiramisu, cupcakes, and cheesecakes were common favorites among students. In fact, many students, including Vivi Tran’26, wished for tiramisu to make more frequent appearances in the dining hall. 

Students also appreciated the new noodle bar. “I really like having more dining options, especially the noodle bar.” One Fifth Form student asserted, “If I don’t like the main options for a specific day, I can always enjoy a nice bowl of noodle soup. While the noodles may not be the same as a dish you find at a ramen restaurant, the noodle bar still does the trick!” Another Third Form student added, “However, I wish [the dining hall] could have soy sauce…”  Other students  provided critique and feedback about the noodle bar. For instance, a Sixth Form student remarked that the noodles “can be a bit dry” but understood that it would be “inevitable.” Some students also wished for more variety in the available soups and noodles. “Personally, I want to have some vermicelli or udon noodles,” Crystal Hui’24 said.

The dining hall’s added snacks also got its fair share of compliments and criticisms. “I like the snacks,” Eli Zahavi’24 noted, “The goldfish is good, but I hope they can switch it up too.” Other students, such as Yejee Hwang’25, enjoyed the bagged snacks that FLIK provided sometimes during seated meals. 

Faculty also seemed to enjoy the dining hall improvements after the new year. Although faculty acknowledged the improved quality of seated meal dishes and options, some faculty still preferred to cook at home if possible: “FLIK is a good option for having a nice and convenient meal, but I try to cook at home for dinners when I don’t like what’s on the menu.”

Overall, both students and faculty have indicated that the changed setup of the FLIK dining hall was a step in the right direction and a sign of future improvements. Yet, members of the St. Mark’s community still point out some areas for further improvement. With the added Google Form in the Weekend Activity slides & QR Codes on the dining hall tables, students can directly give FLIK feedback on meals and suggest meal ideas for the future! While FLIK’s food may not always appeal to everyone’s tastes, we should all appreciate the amazing work that the FLIK staff has done daily to serve the hundreds of people in our St. Mark’s community, and we continually look forward to the improvements FLIK may offer in the future!