Arts and Lifestyle — The St. Marker

by Hannah Cha’25

The annual Fall Play is back! Directed by Mr. Kent, the art department head at St. Mark’s, this year’s play is Geek!, a comedy-drama play written by Crystal Skillman. Geek! It is a fast-paced, hilarious play expressing the dynamic world of cosplays and fictional anime.

A provided summary of the story is the following:

“To score a rare meeting with their comic book idol, teenage outcasts Danya and Honey will take on obsessive magic players, Jedis and elves, cosplayers and anime convention guards - through all nine flights of Ohio's Dante's Fire-Con. But when the dark nature of their quest breaks through the fantasy of their cosplaying— they find that no game can mask the deep loss they’ve recently shared… unless they truly discover who they are” (Crystal Skillman).

Geek! takes place at a comic convention for fans of an imaginary manga called Dante’s Fire. At Dante’s Fire Con, the two teenagers, Danya and Honey, are on a quest to meet Samagashi, the author of the anime. Despite starting with such a playful and joyous note, this show aims to approach more complex themes as reflected in the background of these two characters. Even though cosplay might be a unfamiliar to the audience, the play contains common issues that all people can relate to and think about. Many relatable topics can be found, such as fear, friendship, vulnerability, and courage, can be found.

Geek! had its opening night on November 15th in the Black Box Theater, and the production week lasted until the 17th. Various students and faculty members attended the performances. Thanks to all who came! The show was a culmination of hard work, dedication, and creative brilliance of all cast and crew who have been pouring their hearts to bring this play to life. Even though some unexpected situations happened, such as the main door breaking the last night, with the cooperation and improvisation of the cast and crew, they successfully ended the show. The collaborative energy seen through the show was truly memorable, as was the theatrical venture undertaken by Geek! lingered in various audiences’ hearts.

By Jasmine Liu ‘25

The start of September marked the beginning of the new school year with new student orientation week, convocation, Fall sports, and the start of classes. However, for current Vth and VIth Form students, this month also signaled the beginnings of the infamously daunting task: the college application process.

Ever since its founding in 1865, St. Mark’s School has been focused on preparing students of grades 9-12 for the leap into college life. The Episcopal boarding school carries out this mission through numerous programs such as the Advanced course curriculum, college counseling (for Vth and VIth Form students), mandatory afternoon sports/extracurriculars, and most recently, college visits.

Thanks to the St. Mark’s college counseling department, admission officers from numerous colleges and universities from around the US will be visiting the school throughout this fall. College visits allow Vth and VIth formers the opportunity to discover and learn about various colleges and universities through the lens of an admissions officer. These information sessions give St. Markers the opportunity to hear about the college, ask questions, and get to know someone from the admissions office before applying.

Since September 14th, colleges have begun visiting St. Mark’s campus. These visits typically happen in the evenings before study hall, although a college would sometimes pop in during a community block. Although the counseling office did send out an organized list of the times and meeting places for the different information sessions, the office will still keep students updated each week on the upcoming college visits. Typically, these information sessions occur in the Forbes Presentation Room, Admissions Conference Room, and College Office, but always check the list to stay updated on each location.

If you are a Vth or VIth Form student and have not gone to any of the college visits yet, then do not worry. There are many more colleges to come, including institutions like Oberlin College (10/2/23), Washington University in St. Louis (10/2/23), Colby College (10/3/23), Boston College (10/5/23), University of Chicago (10/10/23), and Emory University (10/10/23). However, even if you do not recognize a college’s name, the counseling office thoughtfully included a list of similar colleges for each institution to help students gain a better preview of the visiting college. The whole point of these meetings is to encourage students to learn about different colleges and consider where their interests lie.

In general, St. Mark’s upper formers are rather satisfied with the college visits and information sessions. “I think it’s a great way for us to learn about the different colleges to gain a better sense of where to apply,” One VIth Form student remarked. Yet, another Vth Form student mentioned that she wished she “knew about this opportunity as an IVth Form student as well.” However, overall, college visits are a great opportunity for students to discover more colleges, build up their potential application list, and better prepare for the years ahead.