What's been working? What needs work?

by Anouk Shin ‘26

It’s no secret that St. Mark’s prioritizes anti-racism—and understandably so. As a small and “very diverse school, bettering yourself to be anti-racist and more inclusive of the people around you is more important”, says Elizabeth Pellini ‘23. 

From Pathways groups to C&E day, our school’s devotion to inclusivity and multiculturalism is apparent in student life, academics, and all school events. But what do St. Markers think? Which aspects of St. Mark’s anti-racist efforts actually uplift anti-racism among students within our community—and which head in the opposite direction? 

Fortunately, many of the current efforts towards anti-racism seem to be working their magic. Steven Zhang 24’, says that “Affinity groups and C&E day “reduce preconceptions and prejudice [of racial identity] in the school”, and as the St. Mark’s faculty board becomes more diverse each year, Joel Lawore 25’is “happy that St. Mark’s is definitely taking more of an initiative on [recruiting faculty of color].” For Joel, a diverse group of faculty is a “crucial” effort towards anti-racism in the long term: “Students are here for four years, but it’s the faculty that stay that really make the community what it is.” 

St. Mark’s mission to combat racism makes an impact in the classroom as well, namely by “incorporating inclusivity into [its] courses,” according to an anonymous third former. One example of this “inclusivity”, she says, is apparent in The Global Seminar: “Its core values [are] learning cross-cultural dialogue and how to be respectful with people’s differences.” 

However, despite the successful anti-racist efforts St. Mark has made over the years in school events, faculty, and the classroom, there is still room for improvement, according to St. Markers. 

One issue, Steven notes, is the occasional “over-the-top” nature of school-wide events relating to anti-racism. To Steven, an important aspect of promoting anti-racism is not only the means of promotion, but also the student response—and “pressur[ing] students to [attend events] that they really don’t want to” may make it even “more unlikely that [students] will actually start becoming more anti-racist.” According to Steven, one example of an “over-the-top” event was the Lion Dance, mostly due to the fact that “[St. Mark’s] made [the event] mandatory for the whole school”. In addition to the event being mandatory, he says, many students “weren’t happy with the time that [the Lion Dance] was placed in” and “not many people were necessarily as interested.”

Events related to the anti-racist effort that are disliked by students can pose serious problems. In these events, intended messages of multiculturalism and anti-racism may go overlooked, and in the worst-case scenario, a negative perception of a culture or anti-racism may be instilled. So “in the future,” Steven suggests, “we can have these types of events, but we shouldn’t put them in such a weird time and force them to be mandatory.” 

Joel believes that there are “a lot of things” relating to anti-racism and inclusivity St. Mark’s could improve upon. “Not to be pessimistic”, he adds, “just [thinking] with that growth mindset.” 

Something that has been “very hard to deal with” but seems “prevalent” for Joel at St. Mark’s are the struggles students with a minority background face while adapting to the community: “When you are a student that comes from a very different background, it’s very tough to acclimate,” he says, especially because there are many students from “similar backgrounds.” Immediately jumping to a potential way to address this complex problem, Joel adds that just “being aware, whether you’re a teacher or student” and having “more Affinity Group involvement would definitely help” in mitigating the issue. 

Implementing complete anti-racism in any institution is a noble, but very difficult task to accomplish. Nonetheless, I am glad to see that St. Mark’s is constantly committed to the seemingly impossible goal of anti-racism, and I hope, through feedback, changes, and everything in between, we continue to run closer to that finish line for generations to come. 

Social Media & Privacy: Why Should We Care?

by Anika Sukthankar ‘23

“Behavioral advertising generates profits by turning users into products, their activity into assets, their communities into targets, and social media platforms into weapons of mass manipulation.”

-Rohit Chopra in his 2019 dissent against Facebook

As technology evolves and becomes an integral part of our society, the controversies surrounding its proper use and associated governmental policies have become increasingly complicated. We are building complex socio-technical systems that seem to guide our very behaviors and thinking. From the addictive nature of social media to privacy concerns, governmental policies seem to be lagging behind technological advancements. Events, such as the Capitol hearings, have made this topic of great interest. 

Social media has become incredibly popular in recent years, with over 400 million new users joining these platforms annually. Despite this popularity, the majority of users are uncomfortable with the collection of personal data and believe that the government needs to do more to regulate tech companies. Rebuilding trust between users and social media companies will take a triumvirate of public awareness, self-regulation by the social media companies themselves, and government regulations.

Social platforms use algorithms to predict content that will best appeal to each user. The more engaging or outrageous the post or content is, the more views they get, thus maximizing the platform’s ad revenue and profit. Most users unwittingly or wittingly provide data by clicking on websites and their content. Even the amount of time one remains on a page, called ‘hover time’ is measured and recorded for each user. One of the industry’s measures of performance called the monetizable Daily Average User (mDAU) is used to define the attractiveness of a social media platform. The higher the number of mDAUs for a social media firm, the higher its draw for advertisers, and therefore higher its ad revenue. Most tech companies are built on the premise of excessive data collection, processing, and then exploitation for commercial use. This is generally in the form of sharing personal data and preferences with marketing firms to create “micro-targeted” ads. Many users place their blind trust, by sharing various aspects of their personal lives, and through their clicks and “hovers”, their preferences on these platforms.

While companies share their policies about data sharing, it is embedded in multi-page legal documents that can only be described as incomprehensible for the average user. The lack of awareness among most users about the data collection and usage practices of tech firms is what causes users to put their privacy at risk. Organizations such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) are trying to change that by creating awareness among the public and lobbying the US Congress to enact privacy laws like GDPR (Global Data Privacy Regulation) in Europe.

Over the past few years, much discussion has been on the need to moderate user-specific content on social media. Many companies have taken action to suspend what they deem as hateful, inappropriate, or violent engendering content. This allows these private companies lawful control of the content on their platforms, which has created much debate about companies obstructing users’ freedom of expression and speech. The suspension of former President Trump’s social media accounts further fueled this debate with even world leaders like Angela Merkel questioning whether social media can restrict the freedom of expression by “de-platforming” individuals and groups.

Social media outlets are inherently different from traditional media outlets in that they are exempt from Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act, thereby limiting the liability of companies due to user-generated content on their websites. The sheer volume of content disseminated on social media (estimated at four billion videos viewed daily on Facebook alone) far outweighs the “curated and controlled” content shared via traditional media. In response to public pressure, social media companies have created mechanisms for self-governance. Meta, the parent of Facebook, has published community standards and a transparency report highlighting the enforcement actions taken. These initial steps towards such self-regulation are both necessary and positive.

The US has several federal and state-level statutes that govern data collection, privacy, and protection all aimed at protecting consumers. However, unlike Europe which has implemented a Global Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR), the US is still working on advancing the American Data Privacy Protection Act (ADPPA) which provides similar protection for consumers. There are also several other laws with specific protections such as the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which governs the collection of information about minors; the Health Insurance Portability and Accounting Act (HIPAA), which governs the collection of health information; the Gramm Leach Bliley Act (GLBA), which governs personal information collected by banks and financial institutions; and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which regulates the collection and use of credit information. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is also responsible for enforcing adherence to applicable laws to ensure consumer protection around online data collection, security, privacy, and sharing.

The public in general is now more curious than ever about securing their data. Many have attempted to distance themselves from social media and are now looking more into the moral responsibilities that social media platforms claim to uphold. But until effective policy laws come into practice, the protection of digital privacy will rely on an educated and aware consumer and self-regulation by social media companies to keep each user safe. As a society, we can simply be careful with the personal information that we share online and report inappropriate content to the authorities when needed.

Sources

1. Associated Press. (2021, January 11). Retrieved from APNews: https://apnews.com/article/merkel-trump-twitter-problematic-dc9732268493a8ac337e03159f0dc1c9 

2. Datareportal. (2022). Digital 2022 Overview Report. Datareportal.

3. Dixon, S. (2022). Twitter: number of monetizable daily active users worldwide 2017-2022. Statista.

4. Electronic Frontier Foundation. (2022, December 20). article 230. Retrieved from https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/user-generated-content-and-fediverse-legal-primer 

5. Electronic Privacy Information Center. (2019). Retrieved from EPIC: https://epic.org/issues/consumer-privacy/social-media-privacy/ 

6. Facebook. (2023). Retrieved from Facebook Transparency Center: https://transparency.fb.com/policies/community-standards/ 

7. Global Web Index. (2022). Social Media Statistics. GWI.

8. Saul, D. (2022). Google and Facebook's Stranglehold Loosening. Forbes.

9. Washington Post-Schar School of Policy and Government. (2021). Internet User Study. 

10. Abrams, Ellen Macphee, “STS 1101: Science Technology, and Politics” (Cornell University, June 21-July 8, 2022)

What Are the Social Groups at St. Mark’s?

by Anouk Shin ‘26 and Hannah Cha ‘25

When asked to describe the community at St. Mark’s, “collective”, “close-knit”, or “unified” may be on the list of words that come to mind. In fact, St. Mark’s is a school that advertises “unified community” as one of its biggest strengths. However, all 76 St. Mark’s students who were faced with the question, “do you believe that social groups exist at St. Mark’s?” answered with “yes.” 

What could this response and other responses related to social groups at St. Mark’s tell us about our community? Does it not matter at all? 

The survey results that were collected over the past week contained a lot of interesting and unexpected statistics. To the question “Which factor do you think defines social groups at St. Mark’s the most?” the responses we received are below:

57.9% of the respondents answered race/ethnicity as the most significant factor of segregation. Sports/activities (38.2%) followed, then sexuality (2.6%), and finally, financial status (1.3%). The results show that the majority of students at St. Mark’s think race and ethnicity create social groups. 

Other than the statistics, another part of the survey that the writers paid attention to were the additional opinions given by the respondents. There were a lot of honest and compelling opinions, which also gave us a new insight into this issue.

Various students also shared their personal experiences of cultural differences causing a division of social groups. One of the respondents shared: “I think it’s normal for people like me that are Hispanic/Latino or African-American to be closer because we have similar cultures and relate to each other a lot. People think we don’t like them but in reality, we can’t relate to them as often so we aren’t as close to them”. A significant number of people were expressing difficulties related to each other, therefore causing segregation between races.

One point that was controversial among a majority of the respondents was: Is it realistic for the division of social groups by race to get solved? Some comments stated that it is “a natural process to have social groups by race because they share so much of a different culture”. They responded that forcefully trying to form social groups with diversity would not suddenly make any of the people in the group closer to each other. Some compelling arguments were also introduced: some people argued that the toxicity of segregation based on race should be considered a big problem, and people need to seek a solution by constructing more conversation and consensus about this topic. Can conflicts of social groups simply be solved by conversation? 

The results of our last question were the most polarized, with 56.6% of students answering “no” and 43.4% answering “yes” to the question, “do you think social groups at St. Mark’s are harmful to our community?”  The responses were almost split down the middle—ultimately begging a compelling question: Are social groups in school a legitimate problem to the community, or is it just an inevitable fact that needs to be accepted? We will leave the question up to the readers as we wrap up this article. 

Introducing Non-Male Gym Time At Wiedergott

by Lori Cui ‘25

If you regularly walk by Wiedergott or read the email from Ms. Maddock, you might have heard about the new gym times dedicated to encouraging everyone to work out in Wiedergott. Over the course of two weeks, I surveyed multiple athletes that use Wiedergott about this topic, and here are their responses. 

(Schedule of Wiedergott Hours)

Before inclusive Wiedergott hours were introduced, many athletes said that they used to work out at Coolidge with a coach because it made them “feel safe” and the equipments were also better. However, Coolidge had limited open slots for all athletes - regardless of athletic teams. Wiedergott is a gym that is always accessible to anybody but had very limited non-male athletes using it. After including non-male gym time, Wiedergott has currently seen a huge increase in non-male athletes using the facilities. 

Non-male athletes showed overwhelmingly positive responses to the Wiedergott gym times, saying that it makes them feel “comfortable” and “judgment-free” to work out. Many other athletes brought up reasons for feeling uncomfortable with guys, one respondent stating that “If I am too strong, then they will be scared of me. But if I am not strong enough, then they will laugh at me for being weak and a girl.” Other athletes also expressed that many boys in the gym blasting “loud rap music” made them feel disagreeable to walk in and work out with the crowd. 

When the non-male athletes were asked how to respond to sexist comments about gym time, they acknowledged that the opinions exist, but the decision has been made, and everyone should live with it. Multiple athletes have stated that the gym is for everyone in the school to use, which includes 50% of non-male athletes at the school. Some have argued that it is encouraging everyone to work out more but also created a larger gap between genders. The new gym times seem to completely separate genders, a segregation not new to Wiedergott but made more evident to onlookers. Wiedergott hours has promoted more inclusive usage of the gym but has also seemingly driven a bigger wedge between genders at St. Mark’s. 

What are your thoughts on the new gym time? Is it furthering the gap between genders?

How Racism Affects Marginalized Students at St. Mark’s

By diana oh ‘24

I was around ten years old when I had my first hard encounter with racism. My mind was a clean slate back then. Raised in a safe international school with some diversity and little to no exposure to racism, I was completely naive and innocent of many aspects of the larger world, including discrimination. Obviously, I knew basic information about Social Justice in my history classes and through events on the news. However, it was a foreign problem outside my bubble, completely irrelevant to my life. Frankly, I did not even understand how racism was even possible. But looking back, I realize that having this mindset was one of the most ignorant things I could think about the world. 

I opened my eyes to the unfair world around me when I went to a sports camp on Catalina Island camp in California. I was severely unprepared for the treatment I would encounter during my three weeks at the camp. Nothing was obvious. There was no physical violence involved, and everything was indirect. It ranged from cutting me off while talking, rolling their eyes when seeing me, and excluding me from team projects. I shook it off at first, unaware that I was being discriminated against. I tried to mingle with the white girls by acting like them and cracking jokes, but everything was useless. These little aggressions started becoming day-to-day, minute-to-minute acts of hatred, and soon I realized that it was not any of the intrinsic values that led to me being an outcast. It was my appearance. I was not white. 

Obviously, these two weeks of constant isolation and discrimination left quite a heavy scar on 10-year-old me. What was supposed to be a relaxing and adventurous trip turned out to be more of a hellish experience, full of tears. What is worse, the scars and trauma I experienced carried on through everyday life and continue to this day. From that moment on, something as simple as a conversation with a white person made me very nervous and scared. 

Even now to some degree, I am still scared to interact with white students or faculty because I am concerned that they will belittle me as a minority. During those two weeks at camp, I developed a barrier separating me from the white community. I formed a preconception that all white people would, and must think that they are, superior to me just because I was Asian, just because I was a minority. And maybe the early childhood memories are why I desperately wanted to fit in with the white friend groups at St. Mark’s. Because maybe by fitting in at St. Mark’s, I could fill the trauma that I felt during my time at the sports camp. 

I know for a fact that this experience is similar to many minority students around the world. I also know that there are definitely a lot of racist people around the world who think we as minorities are inferior to them. However, not all white people are like that. There are many genuinely great white students that I met in school that break this stereotype. If I had conformed to my bubble and shut them out completely, I would have lost so many great friends that could not have been more relevant in my life to this day.

So for all minority students and faculty at St. Mark’s, I would like to ask them to do three following things for the sake of yourselves and the sake of the minorities at St. Mark’s:

Be confident, whoever you are with. It does not matter how scared or uncomfortable you feel around students that way. You have every right to be here at St. Mark’s to learn, interact and be in the same spaces as the white students. You are entitled to be here as much as any other person in the dorm.

Treat white students and faculty how you would treat your other minority students, and don’t form a barrier early on. There is an extremely large chance that the person that you are interacting with is not discriminatory at all, and rather just does not know you as a person. And if someone is truly discriminatory, report to a faculty member and seek help. That student is not worth your time or your efforts and they are certainly not worth the pain that you have gone through because of your race.

Last, your race is something to be proud of that you should confidently show to others. It ebbs with culture, and liveliness to it, that it is so valuable. Don’t ever be ashamed, because you don’t deserve to be. You deserve to be proud. 

In Search of an Equitable St Mark’s

By gina yang ‘24

As the world becomes painfully aware of widespread systemic racism and with social justice movements developing all over the globe, it has become increasingly clear that schools like St. Mark’s must work to establish true racial equality. While many institutions may claim to be “antiracist,” the reality is that simply claiming to oppose racism is not enough. It is necessary to actively work towards becoming an antiracist community, one that aggressively dismantles the structures and biases that perpetuate racial inequality. 

To begin, St. Mark’s must acknowledge that racism exists within its community, just as it does in society at large. While some may feel uncomfortable discussing issues of race and racism, it is crucial that we engage in honest and open dialogue about these topics. This may involve creating safe spaces for BIPOC students and faculty to share their experiences and perspectives, as well as offering training and resources for all members of the community to learn about antiracism and allyship. 

In addition to encouraging open dialogue, St. Mark’s must also take concrete steps to address racial inequality. This could involve hiring and promoting more BIPOC faculty and staff, reevaluating disciplinary policies to ensure that they are not disproportionately impacting students of color, and reviewing the curriculum to ensure that it is inclusive and representative of all perspectives. The St. Mark’s community, as a whole, must also address the subtle forms of racism that can exist within our community, such as micro-aggressions, stereotyping, and exclusionary behavior. 

However, becoming an antiracist community requires continuous effort and a willingness to listen and adapt. St. Mark’s must be willing to critically examine its practices and policies and make changes when necessary. This may involve seeking feedback from BIPOC students and faculty and implementing restorative justice programs to address the harm caused by racism or other forms of discrimination. We must also be willing to acknowledge and address our own biases and work towards becoming better allies to BIPOC individuals.

To truly achieve racial equality at St. Mark’s, we must actively work towards dismantling the structures and biases that perpetuate racial inequality. This requires a sustained and intentional effort and a willingness to examine and challenge our own beliefs and practices. We must create a community that actively promotes diversity and inclusion and values and respects all members, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or background. By doing so, we can create a culture of antiracism at St. Mark’s that goes beyond superficial changes.

St. Julie's: Renovations at St. Mark’s

By Julie He ‘23

Founded in 1865, St. Mark’s school boasts an impressive history as one of the oldest private boarding schools in New England. As a highly reputed institute, St. Mark’s aims to encourage students to develop their particular analytic and creative capabilities by both inspiring their academic and spiritual curiosity and kindling their passion for discovery. However, is the current administration doing its job, or is it time for change? In our current rapidly growing society, there have been many changes aimed to improve our world, so why shouldn’t St. Mark’s follow the trend? Therefore, I propose a series of developments that can be implemented at SM to foster growth and development. *Scroll to bottom for list*

First and foremost, St. Mark’s as a name is highly outdated and deserves revampment. St. Julie’s is not only chic and pleasing to the ear, but also remains inclusive and retains parts of the school’s history. According to scientific research from highly reputable sources, the proposed name will attract many more prospective students and donors as shown in the graph below. 

In addition to the name change, St. Julie’s should also update its school colors from blue and white to pink and white. All buildings, equipment, flags, windows, walls, and more should transition to this bright and lovely color. The color blue can symbolize and portray coldness, aloofness, unfriendliness and sadness. These feelings do not accurately represent JM or its students and can give off a negative connotation of our jovial and connected campus atmosphere. Pink, on the other hand, is associated with positive thoughts of youth, good health, and loveliness. Pink symbolizes passion, kindness, and understanding; embodying all that is good in the world and the students of St. Julie’s. Which attributes more correctly describe our school: coldness and sadness, or passion and understanding? This will also help SJ stand out from all the other basic and lackadaisical schools who stick with boring blue and white. Based on the same highly scientific research, statistics show some of the benefits using pink will bring to SJ. 

Transportation is often a complication at boarding schools, and St. Julie’s has a practical and fun solution to provide an efficient and safe way of travel. Students have often complained about the 10 min period in between classes due to not having enough passing time. St. Julie’s should install slides and trampolines to decrease the walking time. In case of fire, students will be able to evacuate faster and more efficiently. Students will also not have to climb 5 flights of stairs everyday and the leap will wake students up in the morning. Of course, elevators will still be available for people who are unable to use such devices. The journey between West and Main is often treacherous with dangers of drowning in West Lake, being attacked by a bear from the forest, or getting hit by a fast moving vehicle. To help prevent these problems, a zip line and ski lift should be installed. While being safe, this system will help with students running late in the morning and provide equity to west boarders who often complain about the main-campus boarder privileges. These systems provide a fast and fun way to travel, saving time and increasing student happiness.

Our classrooms and buildings also deserve renovation. Research demonstrates that students produce their best work when they are in a safe and comfortable setting. Instead of hard old chairs, we should replace them with more flexible and colorful furniture. For example, bean bags, swings, pillows are all good alternatives. Walls should be painted by students, completely whiteboards, or all glass to increase overall productivity. There should also be rooms that are with anti gravity, underwater, jungle themed, or beach themed classrooms. St. Julie’s will also revive the tradition of having dog-friendly hallways and classrooms where any dog (that is potty trained) is allowed to roam freely throughout the campus. Dogs can help lower the stress level of students and add to the school aesthetic. In addition to being practical, these equipments will also liven up the school and add spice to everyone’s lives. Not to mention, these renovations are very fun and enjoyable.

St. Julie’s should also make changes to its classes and curriculum to best fit the needs of students and the current world. More courses should be added to meet the demand of students. Some course propositions are The Art Of Procrastination; The Sociology of Taylor Swift: Race, Class, Gender, And Media; Sleeping 101; The Philosophy of Phallicism; and The Science of Maple Syrup. These courses allow students to further explore interests outside the core curriculum and develop life skills that will help them beyond the classroom. In consideration of the student's wellbeing and health, St. Julie’s would run from 10am to 5pm each day with only 2 hours of homework (or 30 min per course) allowed each night. The color blocks will also be re-designed so 80 min blocks are abolished as they are too long and humans were not evolved to sit and listen for such long periods. End of year and unit evaluations would be completed as student-chosen projects whether it be a test, presentation, creative project, or discussion. Teachers should be able to adeptly evaluate the students they have been teaching and interacting with for weeks using these methods. This will allow the student to showcase their knowledge without having to worry about time pressure and multiple choice statistics. This provides equity to students who do not perform as well under pressure but still understand the curriculum. Grades will also be replaced with the Saint Julie grading standard: F=fantastic, D=delightful, C= cool, B=bad, & A=awful. Detentions will be replaced with BC Calculus/Math classes and students will have to solve 10 problems successfully in order to get out of detention. This will lower percentage of rule-breaking by 99% according to recent statistics (done by students in detention so not sure on accuracy). 

While the 10-5 schedule may seem to affect sports-life, SJ can add more indoor sports and a variety of sports to utilize the time wisely. Nighttime sports will also be added so students can use facilities after the sun goes down. Students will be able to petition to create their own sport group provided that it does not already exist. For example, sports that can be introduced to SJ are Competitive Napping, Squirrel Racing, Quidditch, Zorbing, and Varsity Yoga. These sports will allow all students to stay fit while enjoying a hobby of their choice.

The food at SM should also change to serve potatoes 24/7. Potatoes can be made in a variety of healthy ways that all students can enjoy. Furthermore, Ice cream and Cake will be served everyday to keep students cool. A pink lemonade fountain can be installed in the cafeteria, or the main quad to make sure students are hydrated. These food choices will keep students happy and healthy. 

While SM has many celebrated traditions, SJ should provide more celebrations to be more diverse and inclusive. One that SJ can do that is inclusive and fun is the Homework Ritual. The homework ritual would be an annual day where students all tear up their homework and recycle them into more useful stuff. This is environmentally friendly for the Earth and mentally friendly for students. This will help the school students bond together as a community because of the shared burden of homework. 

With all these new changes, St. Julie’s will ensure that the students at the school are happy and healthy. It will also become a more positive community which will attract many outsiders and prospective students. Therefore, I plead that St. Mark’s takes all of the suggestions seriously and implements some of them. With these changes, St. Mark’s will become an elite institution.

Complete List of Proposed Renovations

• St. Marks->St. Julie’s

• Blue->Pink

• Trampolines and Slides to replace stairs

• Ski Lift and Zipline from west to main

• Bean Bags, pillows and swings classroom

• Painted by students, whiteboards, or all glass walls

• Anti gravity, underwater, jungle themed, or beach themed classrooms

• Dogs be allowed to roam throughout campus

• Course Propositions: The Art Of Procrastination; The Sociology of Taylor Swift: Race, Class, Gender, And Media; Sleeping 101; The Philosophy of Phallicism; and The Science of Maple Syrup

• 10am-5pm classes (no more 80min blocks)

• Under 2hr HW per day

• Students can choose whether to do a test, presentation, creative project, or discussion instead of mandatory standardized testing

• Saint Julie grading standard: F=fantastic, D=delightful, C= cool, B=bad, & A=awful.

• Detentions=Math Classes

• Sports: Competitive Napping, Squirrel Racing, Quidditch, Zorbing, and Varsity Yoga

• Potatoes and Ice cream food

• Pink lemonade fountain

• St. Mark’s Homework Ritual

A New Sustainability Campaign

By Andrea Xu ‘25

It was a dreary mid-January dawn. “Raisin showers”, slimy and purplish debris from outer space, intruded on Southborough at 6:04 AM the morning. Once these raisin-shaped fragments hit the surface, their collisions resembled the ribbit of pond frogs. The shower only increased in strength, by and by, staining the sky to a darker shade. 

First, the rain roused Ally, an early bird who liked to shower in the morning. She got off her bed from a frozen shrill, bolting down to the bathroom. The hot water supply halted and impatience grew in her. Ally blanketed herself in a bathrobe, angrily slamming the bathroom door. Her tantrum ended with Ava’s attempt to prepare her porridge. Ava calmly poured some oatmeal into her bowl, turning the faucet handle to her left. Without noticing the imminent frustration, she gulped a spoonful of oatmeals, yet, the combined taste of raw oats and unusually cold water thrusted her into a nausea. It was a chaotic morning in the Gaccon hallway. Everyone sneezed an “acho” and gathered closer only to steal some heat. One girl moaned because she couldn’t brew her lavish tea. 

Then, an email alert broke the gratuitous groans. It was an urgent letter sent from the headmaster, reading:

“Dear St. Mark’s Community,

As many of you are aware, the fragmented heating supply has become a rife grievance across our community. In an effort to dispel rumors, there is a major readjustment in the school budget in the philanthropy and reconstruction sectors. Due to the recent inland flooding in Massachusetts, I believe it is our priority to rebuild the hockey rink and the robotics labs, both sites mark the school’s prized legacies. I understand the ephemeral electricity shortage brings us many inconveniences. However, I want all of you to be aware of the environmental crisis in this mid-21st century: our nation is undergoing an unprecedented decline in natural oil, thereby causing the meteoric inflation of electricity bills, to a $1.2/kWh. Our effort to prioritize this sustainability campaign could be very powerful. Evaluating our large demand for electrical infrastructures from all respect, the board of trustees removed the hot water supply in the bathrooms… Our solution is to replace every bed with a comfy electric heating pad.

Sincerely,

Mr. Greedy”

Celebration of Black History Month

Yoonjeong Yang’ 24

February marks Black History Month, a nationwide celebration honoring the triumphs and struggles of African-Americans throughout U.S. history. This annual observation was commenced in 1926 with the establishment of "Negro History Week" by historian Carter G. Woodson to raise awareness of black history and culture. Initially, Negro History Week was observed during the second week of the month because it coincides with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, both of whom were influential in the abolishment of slavery. During 1960s, however, as acceptance of this commemoration grew, Negro History Week evolved into what is now Black History Month.

While it is important to remember the rich history of African Americans in the United States, Black History Month is also time to recognize that much more work needs to be done to guarantee equal rights for African Americans in modern society. To effectively combat systemic racism, we must endeavor to be “anti-racist” in every aspect of our lives, and in order to accomplish this, it is vital that we understand history-particularly, the history of how people of different races have struggled to shape our world today. One of the best ways to do this is by reading books. Reading should serve as a step ladder leading to the ultimate goal of anti-racism, with each rung addressing a different way to eradicate racism’s insidious hold on all of us. We must educate ourselves, but we should not stop there. We must also take tangible action to constantly move forward by engaging in conversations on racism and leaning into topics that may be uncomfortable. To celebrate Blank History Month, dive into some of the books recommended by St. Mark's school library to deepen your appreciation and understanding of African American history. And remember: Every month is Black History Month.

Be Free or Die: the Amazing Story of Robert Smalls' Escape from Slavery to Union Hero by Cate Lineberry

“Cate Lineberry's Be Free or Die is a compelling narrative that illuminates Robert Smalls’ amazing journey from slave to Union hero and ultimately United States Congressman. This captivating tale of a valuable figure in American history gives fascinating insight into the country's first efforts to help newly freed slaves while also illustrating the many struggles and achievements of African Americans during the Civil War.”

The Last Slave Ship by Cate Lineberry

“The incredible true story of the last ship to carry enslaved people to America, the remarkable town its survivors founded after emancipation, and the complicated legacy their descendants carry with them to this day--by the journalist who discovered the ship's remains. The Last Slave Ship remains optimistic - an epic tale of one community's triumphs over great adversity and a celebration of the power of human curiosity to uncover the truth about our past and heal its wounds.”

Twisted by Emma Dabiri

“Emma Dabiri explores the ways in which black hair has been appropriated and stigmatized throughout history, with ruminations on body politics, race, pop culture, and Dabiri’s own journey to loving her hair. Deeply researched and powerfully resonant, Twisted proves that far from being only hair, black hairstyling culture can be understood as an allegory for black oppression and, ultimately, liberation.”

Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes

“From Jewell Parker Rhodes comes a powerful coming-of-age story about two brothers, one who presents as white, the other as black, and the complex ways in which they are forced to navigate the world, all while training for a fencing competition. Powerful and emotionally gripping, Black Brother, Black Brother is a careful examination of the school-to-prison pipeline and follows one boy’s fight against racism and his empowering path to find his voice.”

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

“Tomi Adeyemi conjures a stunning world of dark magic and danger in her West African-inspired fantasy debut, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir. The book follows heroine Zélie Adebola as she attempts to restore magic to the kingdom of Orïsha, following the ruling class kosidáns' brutal suppression of the class of magic practitioners Zélie belongs to, the maji.”

You can check out the recommended books from St. Mark's school library here: https://stmarksschool-ma.libguides.com/c.php?g=1215424&p=8890192 

Works Cited

“Black History Month.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 14 Jan. 2010, https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-month.

“Celebrating Black History Month.” LibGuides, https://stmarksschool-ma.libguides.com/c.php?g=1215424&p=8890192.