Humans of St. Marks — The St. Marker

Written by Grace Lee 23 and Ivy Li ‘23

Six students from The Grange School in Santiago, Chile are attending our school for the next month. We interviewed them on how their St. Mark’s experience is so far, and how it differs from their own Chilean culture.

First off, here’s to get to know the students and their hobbies. The three boys, Clemente Torres, Tomas Opazo, and Benjamin Zamorano all play sports but have musical talents as well. Clemente enjoys playing the trombone and golf. Tomas likes soccer, as well as the guitar. Benjamin plays rugby, but better enjoys video games and playing the piano. The three girls, Anna Oemich, Antonia Correa, and Francisca Anna all share a love of reading. Anna has many hobbies such as baking and building things with legos. Antonia loves sports and plays volleyball. Francisca is very artistic, and her hobby is drawing.

In addition to that, knowing random facts about the students can help you to relate to them better. Tomas has a brother and two sisters. Clemente mentioned that he likes spicy food whereas Francisca likes all types of food. Anna has eaten impala meat, and said that it doesn’t taste any different from regular meat. Surprisingly, Antonia has never tried any fast food chains in the USA because she is a vegetarian. Here are some things to know about our exchange students that might help everybody to relate to them more.

St. Mark’s and The Grange School have many noticeable differences. The first is the class sizes. The Grange school classes have around 24 students as opposed to the 13 students here. The St. Mark’s campus is very big, and has lots of different options for sports. At Grange, there are also eight levels for classes so students can further in subjects like chemistry and graphic design. The Chileans appreciates the positive energy that the St. Mark’s students had and likes the independence that every student gets here. Some of them even noticed that most of the tables were arranged in circles, and they liked how that setup encouraged community.

Why did the Chileans want to come to St. Marks? Here are their answers. All of them wanted to experience school in a brand new environment and meet new people. Francisca wondered if American schools were really like they are in the movies. Antonia has experienced a pre-college class at Stanford before, so she was curious to see how American schools work.

Additionally, Chilean culture is drastically different from the American culture. The Chilean independence day (Cueca) is on September 18th where they listen to folk music, dance, and spend time with family. Antonia noted that they speak Spanish very quickly, which makes Chilean culture recognizable from other Spanish-speaking countries. Anna loves Chilean food: empanadas, lucuma (a fruit) ice cream, and more. Everybody mentioned different things that they relate to in Chilean culture, and that every culture is celebrated in many different ways.

Along with culture, the Chileans have been celebrating different parts of St. Marks. Every single student mentioned that everybody was smiling and radiated positive energy! Tomas noted that the classes are more focused on the students, and Benjamin said that he liked how the classes have fewer people. Antonia liked that many different cultures are represented at St. Marks, which St. Marks students definitely value as a big part of our community.

The Chileans are adjusting to a completely new lifestyle, so for us to help them adjust, here are a few things the St. Markers can do to help them adjust easier. Keep in mind, most of them are adjusting just fine so we should treat them as a regular part of our community. However, don’t be scared to go up to them and make friends. Benjamin and Tomas want to do sports with other people while Francisca is interested in studio art, so don’t be shy to talk to them about these topics.

Third formers began the first Saturday Class of their choice. As a huge part of St. Mark’s, the courses provide students with another great eye-opening experience for the students taking the course. Although 3rd formers have been at St. Mark’s for a fairly long time already, they have finally had their first experience of a unique part of St. Mark’s. Since it is their first time experiencing a Saturday Class of their choice, we wanted to share some information and opinions regarding the classes. We were able to receive ratings and feedbacks for the courses through a survey we conducted. More specifically, we collected their ideas on the portions of the class that they benefit most from and areas for improvement.

All of the students that participated in our survey agreed that their Saturday Classes are especially enjoyable. Every participant rated their course a score of at least 6 out of 10. In fact, most 3rd formers who took the survey rated their class an 8 out of 10. On the other hand, the ratings of how challenging their classes were much more diverse. While some students suggested that their courses are not arduous at all, others believed that they were extremely laborious. However, most people concurred on a 7 out of 10 when asked how challenging their course was.

3rd formers who took the survey also believed that there is an aspect of their class that they enjoy. For example, a few of the participants concluded that they love spending time with little kids. One student noted that “playing with the kids and seeing them happy” was the most gratifying reward from this class. Other students expressed that the most enjoyable aspect of their class is watching videos and movies that were related to the class. Responses also voice that they were able to play some project-related games during the course, one student suggested that playing “games that are incredibly engaging” is the most pleasant element of the class. Many responses also states that they love being able to be in the same class as their best friends.

Nonetheless, some students concluded that there could be improvements made to their class. Some students wanted their course to be longer since they feel they do not have enough time to complete their tasks, and the period of class feels short when time is spent on the driving. As opposed to another anonymous student who wants their course to be shorter in length because “Saturday Classes seem too long and difficult for focus near the second half of it”. There are also students who expect to have specific directions for their classes instead of completing things without an itinerary. According to an anonymous 3rd former, she was expecting “more guidance” for the projects. However, most 3rd formers felt that their class was extremely beneficial, and they had nothing to change about their course.

Overall, 3rd formers express through their surveys that their Saturday Classes are quite likable. Most students who participated in the survey are satisfied with their choice of class. Although there could be perfections made to better their class and experience in the course, most students convey that they enjoy their classes. While Saturday Classes do take up a portion of our precious weekend free time, it is a great opportunity provided for the St. Mark’s students to learn more about the world around us and pursue our own interests!