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. 

Are You Racist?

by Vanessa Leung ’25

Don’t think you’re biased? Take the Implicit Association Test (IAT) to find out!: Harvard Implicit Association Test

Racism is defined as the prejudice and discrimination against a certain group based on their racial or ethnic profile. As an immigration melting pot, racism runs rampant in the United States, and no one is immune from it. From gentle discomfort towards an ethnicity to tragic mass shootings killing innocent lives, racism may have become a stigmatized term in society, but that doesn’t mean that it has disappeared from our lives completely.

The origins of racism are complex, with roots that reach back to the Atlantic slave trade to recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Their existence may be just another page in a history textbook, but their impacts are profound. While most deny it, it is common for people to be racist; in fact, most psychologists believe that everyone is unintentionally racist. Psychologists believe that the causes of racism not only stem from history but also from cognitive biases that influence our brains.

The most common cognitive biases believed to cause racism is the “in-group bias”, the “just world fallacy” and “implicit” bias. In-group bias is when people prefer others with similar physical appearances over others, “out-groups” and is most often linked to the causes of racial discrimination. It is the human tendency to sort things into groups, and a survival instinct throughout history to perceive those who are in “your group” to be safe. Thus, the “us vs. them” idea often originates from a feeling of threat and danger, leading to prejudiced thinking and actions. The just world fallacy is when one believes in a justified world where the good receives good and the bad receives bad. However, upholders of this fallacy are also found to support police violence and lowering the ages of criminal responsibility for crimes committed by black teenagers. Lastly, the implicit bias might be best described with the phrase “we don’t know what we don’t know.” This is a form of prejudice that occurs unintentionally and unwittingly yet affects our thoughts and actions nevertheless. 

Another key contributor to our unintentional racism is our exposure to the world. Negative stereotypes, cultural myths, and racist beliefs that get introduced to us when we are young can easily influence our mindsets and create a biased viewpoint. Fear and ignorance of unfamiliar ethnic groups can also lead to negative attitudes towards certain groups. 

St. Mark’s brands itself as a diverse, antiracist community. The school has worked extensively on developing its antiracist program in many areas of community life including affinity groups, and initiatives from the C&E office. Multiple affinity groups have been created to accommodate our diverse and unique student body, which creates safe spaces for students identifying in the group to freely express themselves. The C&E office has also created C&E day and Umoja, a talent show dedicated to the celebration of different cultures by showcasing our identities through performances such as dancing, singing, and more. To know more, visit Antiracism - St. Mark's School.

Those are all great ways to establish an inclusive environment in our school, yet there are also more aspects that St. Mark’s can do to live up to its name. To become an antiracist school, each of us must first acknowledge the presence of racism. As mentioned earlier, most people are informed about racism but don’t, and would prefer not to identify with it. People are naturally biased, and students should accept their prejudices and be open to them. Racism shouldn’t be a sensitive topic shunned to the sides and should be mentioned more frequently in the community to promote awareness in our daily lives. Understanding your susceptibility towards something can greatly change your actions. St. Mark’s should also take advantage of its diverse community by encouraging the diverse cultures of their students. The Lion Dance performance this year was a wonderful peek into the culture of Lunar New Year celebrations, and more showcases of other cultures should be encouraged in ways such as videos shown during school meetings. 

Virtually everyone is biased and prejudiced, for it is impossible to have a completely impartial view. However, we shouldn’t be discouraged by this reality or give up on our attempts. Instead, this should be a sign to heighten our awareness of the pervasiveness of racism and take further steps to fight it.

Opinions of Community and Equity Day

by Jasmine Liu ‘25

Photo from January 23rd, 2023 Community and Equity Day in the Class of ‘45 Hall

Every year, St. Mark’s School devotes an entire day to an integral aspect of the St. Mark’s experience: community and equity. Community and Equity Day at St. Mark’s School is an annual day-long event dedicated to the exploration of topics related to community and culture. Instead of having classes, students would all gather in the Putnam Family Arts Center (PFAC) Class of ‘45 Hall in the morning to listen to a guest speaker deliver a speech related to the theme of community on C&E Day. The day then follows with house-based conversations throughout the campus, and after lunch, students go back to the PFAC to watch Umoja (Swahili for unity), a student talent show dedicated to sharing different cultures and identities in the St. Mark’s student body.

This year, the Community and Equity office worked hard to bring in “Fearless Inside” movement founder Darryl Bellamy for C&E Day. Darryl Bellamy is a leader who helps inspire “fearless moments” around the world by delivering speeches and presentations to schools across the nation. On January 23rd, 2023, Darryl Bellamy spreads his “Fearless” message to the St. Mark’s community. This presentation ended up being a well-loved aspect of C&E Day with around 60% of students and faculty voting it as their favorite event, according to the C&E day opinion survey sent out last week. “It was an AMAZING presentation,” One Vth Former exclaimed. “I especially liked the moments when Darryl dimmed the lights and created an atmosphere for us to think and reflect.” Another Vth Former remarked that they “learned a lot about overcoming my fears and anxieties by giving myself only a few seconds to react.” Yet despite the positive responses, some students were still skeptical of the presentation. One student commented that they wished “the Fearless talk would have made a stated connection to C&E work” instead of leaving it for students to interpret.

After the “Fearless” presentation, students were separated into their dorm/Burnett house groups to discuss their takeaways from the presentation as well as their personal opinions and experiences around the matter. Some students remarked on the enjoyment of the house-based discussions. “My group had a discussion that lasted the whole time slot,” one student mentioned. “It actually gave me some insights into the perspectives of my groupmates.” However, around 40% of respondents stated that they did not enjoy the house-based conversations as much as they wanted to. One Vth Former mentioned that the conversations “were not beneficial” while another IV Former stated that the house discussions were “unproductive, awkward, and boring.” “I believe third formers should have split up by houses as well to reflect on the topic and discuss amongst their peers instead of using the auditorium where we had spent all morning,” one faculty member asserted, “having the upper class (PDL) added for a power dynamic could have steered many from participating.”

Lastly, after the house-based conversations and lunch, everybody went back to the PFAC Class of ‘45 Hall for the annual student-led celebration, Umoja! During the Umoja celebration, students showcased a variety of their talents from K-pop (Korean pop) dancing to singing songs in their native languages and playing traditional pieces. Many students and faculty enjoyed the Umoja celebration, and one faculty member commented how it was amazing that the celebration was student-led. However, another faculty member did mention that they “wished more faculty were included in the Umoja celebration”.

Ultimately, C&E Day was mostly a success this year with students and faculty giving the event an average of 7.5 to 8 out of 10 ratings. Many students and faculty in the St. Mark’s community had valuable takeaways from the day. “I learned that I am not alone with my fears and that it’s okay for me to be scared,” one Vth Form student commented, “I just need to accept and understand my fears and know that it will be okay.” Another faculty member also stated that C&E day encouraged their self-confidence to “step out of their comfort zone”. “Cool things happen if you are willing to challenge your fears,” they added.

Yet, some students also have topics they want to see for the future of Community and Equity Day. “I think other topics to explore in the future can include mental health (stress, anxiety, competition (academic, leadership, etc.) among students and friends), gender, and sexuality,” One student remarked. “Gender will be a hard topic to keep people engaged in, but if there is a creative way or a unique perspective to share with the entire school, it would be great.” Another faculty member also wished to see some focus on diversity, the importance of representation, and the meaning behind thinking deeply.

In summary, according to the C&E opinions survey, the majority of students and faculty at St. Mark’s thought that this year was a “good example” of what C&E Day should be like. While some members of the St. Mark’s community still have some skepticism and doubts about this year’s C&E Day, the event generally seems to be following the right path to many more impactful topics for the future.

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.

A Case for Ethnic Studies Courses

by Jonathan Hernández ‘24

At St. Mark’s, students are allowed to learn from a wide variety of perspectives and backgrounds. We have students who come from across the globe to learn. However, while the students come from diverse backgrounds, the material they are taught is not always representative of that key fact. One of the largest instances of this lack of support comes from a lack of representation in the curriculum. Students learn about history from a primarily Eurocentric perspective, restricting them from learning about different histories and perspectives.

To combat the dangerous single narrative, Ethnic Studies courses come to the rescue.

Ethnic studies courses offer a large array of benefits ranging from giving students tools to understand social issues and a deeper understanding of the experiences of others to better support systems for Black, Latine/Latinx, and Indigenous students.  

Firstly, Ethnic Studies courses (particularly those in History and Literature) highlight the roles of race and ethnicity as they shape identities and experiences. Some focuses of Ethnic Studies include, but are not limited to Chicanx/Latinx Studies, African American Studies, Indigenous studies, or Asian American Studies. These types of courses focus on a particular identity and give insight into the history, culture, and experiences of people with these identities. 

Due to their nature, Ethnic Studies courses present students with the opportunity to better understand social issues such as racism (and to a lesser extent colorism). They do so by illustrating how systems of oppression have and still disenfranchise people of color, highlighting numerous other issues the communities face. This provides an opportunity for students to gain empathy and a more comprehensive cultural consciousness as they learn about the experiences of others. This benefit is a trait that is valued at St. Mark’s, an institution keen on teaching global citizenship and an appreciation for the cultures and perspectives of others. Such emphasis can be demonstrated more thoroughly through Ethnic Studies courses and should then be adopted by the institution. 

Further, Ethnic Studies courses provide support and visibility for students of color. In learning about their histories, students of color can feel seen. They can feel comforted by the knowledge that their history is important and taught in their schools. They can feel proud to know that their history is rich, beautiful, and worth learning in school just as much as the eurocentric histories plentifully available. This is one way to promote inclusivity, the feeling of pride and belonging in an institution because your history and culture are being taught in class. 

Rephrased, St. Mark’s School should provide students with Ethnic Studies courses to support systems as they develop cultural consciousness and empathy for others and to better support students from marginalized groups. 

Sources

Nguyen, Hoa P. “Through Ethnic Studies, Schools Push to Include Marginalized Perspectives.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 21 May 2021, www.edutopia.org/article/through-ethnic-studies-schools-push-include-marginalized-perspectives/.

Are Snow Days Necessary?

By Rory Hutchins’25

The joy of snow falling and getting the sudden email from the dean that there is no school always leaves students with a euphoric feeling. However, with the rise of Covid, snow days started to dwindle. What was snow to stop school when Zoom was at our fingertips? When asking sophomore Kat Dai ‘25, she stated that “snow days are important because they are so unexpected. These days offer time for relaxation and are beneficial for student’s mental health, especially during long winter weeks.” 

Those who are pro Zoom snow days have stated that snow days would add more time to summer break, but the truth is students would benefit more from a sporadic break. Zoom snow days also offer another plethora of problems. Digital classes and staring at a screen for five hours straight can be damaging to one’s health. Snow days offer the perfect amount of time to relax and recover from school as that gives students and teachers a chance to rejuvenate before continuing on with the remainder of their week. 

Zoom classes also cause more harm than good to all parties involved. Teachers have to spend their snow days setting up Zoom links, many of which tend to have problems. Snow days often cause power lines to fall down, or the internet to slow which in turn is a huge burden for the student or teacher trying to join the Zoom call. 

Additionally, after a long day of Zoom classes, there is then more homework added which is usually digital as well. Zoom-day snow days have no beneficial impact on students and diminish the excitement of snowfall in general.

Athletic Schedule Affects Academic Productivity

By Rachel Ding’26

Afternoon Study Hall in the Library

Along with the start of window two arrives a new athletic season for sixteen teams. As limited athletic facilities affect winter sport practice times for basketball, ice hockey, and squash, late practices and contingent productivity of study hours bear the consequence. Two courts, Elkins and the FAC are allotted for five Basketball teams: Boys Varsity, Boys JV, Boys Thirds, Girls Varsity, and Girls JV. Four Ice Hockey teams: Boys Varsity, Boys JV, Girls Varsity, and Girls JV, rotate practice on Gardner Rink. Four teams: Boys Varsity/JV, Boys Thirds, Girls Varsity/JV, and Girls Thirds share six squash courts. Thus, afternoon study hall has been introduced to evenly distribute practice hours in the limited court and rink spaces particular to these sports.

From the standard study hall hours of 7:30 to 9:30 PM, thirteen teams have alternated practice times each day, thus periodically shifting their study hours to 3:30 to 5:30 PM. While the amount of time remains constant, the inconsistent occurrence has taken a toll on student academic productivity. Science claims that “learning is most effective between 10 AM to 2 PM and from 4 PM to 10 PM when the brain is in an acquisition mode” (“When Is the Best Time to Study: Morning, Noon or Night?”). Between 1 PM and 4 PM, many experience a period of decreased energy, fatigue, and lack of focus, also referred to as an afternoon slump in response to changes in circadian rhythm (Tolliver). The thirty-minute overlap of unproductivity (1-4 PM) consists of ¼ of afternoon study hall hours (3:30-5:30 PM). Thus, a fourth of the allotted study time lacks efficiency and effectiveness of homework completion and effort.

Switching between standard study hall hours (7:30 PM to 9:30 PM) and afternoon study hall (3:30 PM to 5:30 PM), student-athletes experience a lack of consistency. Scheduled and structured study sessions increase productivity, incorporating a level of familiarity, preparation, and routine, as well as helping to “ensure you study daily” and improve “the quality of your study time” (“When Is the Best Time to Study: Morning, Noon or Night?”). 

Afternoon study hall coincides with the afternoon slump, as fatigue and lack of concentration diminish productivity. With the additional erratic occurrence of such study hours, a lack of consistency corresponds to a lack of productivity.

Works Cited

Loveless, Becton. “10 Habits of Highly Effective Students.” Education Corner, 

https://www.educationcorner.com/habits-of-successful-students.html#:~:text=Study%20at%20the%20same%20time,regular%20part%20of%20your%20life.

Tolliver, Laura Jazmin. “Why You’Re So Tired After Lunch: The Afternoon Slump Explained.” 

Edited by Katie E. Golden, GoodRX Health, 26 Jan. 2022, https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/sleep/why-tired-afternoon-slump. 

“When Is the Best Time to Study: Morning, Noon or Night?” PSB Academy, 17 Jan. 2020, 

https://www.psb-academy.edu.sg/blog/best-time-to-study.

A New Chapter for Saturday Classes

By Ian Cho ‘26

Are you interested in building your own book? Do you want to produce an original 3-minute narrative film or learn how to produce stunning content for your social media? How about helping young athletes with and without intellectual disabilities participate in basketball tournaments? With the 2022-23 winter Saturday classes, you can explore diverse, inventive opportunities, ranging from media production to volunteer opportunities. 

Unlike standard classes, the Saturday classes at St. Mark’s fully empower real-world experience. This means students will, as written in the ‘2022-2023 SM Saturday Course Guide’, “engage in interdisciplinary, hands-on, responsive learning.” For instance, instead of simply learning about issues around human migration, students will take the initiative and advocate for and volunteer at an organization. Through these classes, students will gain new perspectives and skills and develop leadership and confidence.

The classes will take place on just five Saturdays this season: January 7th, January 14th, January 28th, February 11th, and February 25th. They generally begin at 9:00 am after school meetings and end at 11:30 am.

A few weeks ago, students filled out a google form to rank their top five choices for their Saturday classes. Unfortunately, not everyone will get enrolled in their first-choice class. To stimulate and create an environment for quality and robust conversations, relationships, and collaboration, there is a limited and minimum number of slots available for each class. 

During the fall Saturday class season, Third-formers and Sixth-formers took their core classes. Core classes are mandatory Saturday classes customized to fit the needs of students of different forms. The main objective behind core classes is to gradually learn our roles as global citizens and as part of the St. Mark’s community. This season, the Fifth-formers will take their ‘V Form College Core,’ and the Sixth-formers will take their ‘VI Form Lion Term Design Core.’ 

As students progress through their St. Mark’s career, it is important to think about what components make up their identity and who they want to be in college in the future. In the  ‘V Form College Core’ class, students will start to establish skills and habits that will help them in the college application process. 

In the ‘VI Form Lion Term Design Core’ class, Sixth-form students will plan for their 2023 Lion Term. The ‘2022-2023 SM Saturday Course Guide’ describes that “Together, the VI Form Winter Saturday and Lion Term provide a framework for students to chart their courses, capitalizing on their time at St. Mark’s while also possibly previewing future endeavors.”

Students participating in the Term Global Trip will register for a winter elective instead. 

There are many exciting opportunities and experiences that await students in the winter Saturday class season! What will your next chapter for Saturday Classes look like?

To learn more about the upcoming Saturday class season, visit the course guide document.