Humans of St. Marks — The St. Marker

Diana Oh ’24

While navigating the school year, students will sometimes be called to specific offices. Whether it is for their orah request or weekend activity suggestions, finding faculty offices is an inevitable part of St. Mark’s life. However, many office changes have been made over the summer, and it may be confusing for students to navigate towards an office.

Here is a list of some important offices that may help you for future use:

Mr. DaSilva (Director of Community and Equity Affairs)

Mr. DaSilva is the Director of Community and Equity Affairs. He organizes Pathways Meetings and works to students feel well served in a school’s community.

Location: Room 145, Room at Upper Center across from English Wing (Previous Senior Hangout Spot).

Mr. Vachris (Director of Student Engagement)

Mr. Vachris, the previous Dean of Students, is now the Director of the Student Engagement Office/Director of Community Life! He organizes the big picture projects regarding our St. Mark’s community. His office, previously next to Ms. Kosow’s office, is now on the Second Floor, right next to the Dining Hall Stairs.

Location: Second Floor (Beside Dining Hall stairs)

Ms. Caron (Dean of Student Engagement)

Ms. Caron is the Dean of Student Engagement. She organizes Orah and manages Houses for safer community life.

Location: Room 118 (Mr. Vachris’ previous office)

Mr. Waters (Dean of Academics)

Mr. Waters is the Dean of Academics. Mr. Waters helps navigate students throughout their academic activities at St. Mark’s.

Location: Room 151, Upper center

* Most academic related offices are located around the Upper Center.

Ms. Morgan (Assistant Head of School’s Office)

Ms. Morgan is the Assistant Head of School. She assists Mr. Warren in facilitating our community.

Location: 2nd floor next to the red hall/college conference hall (stairs that lead to the Coe)

Ms. Vachris (Associate Director of Admissions)

Ms. Vachris is the Associate Director of Admissions. She helps the smooth process of admissions at St. Mark’s.

Location: Room 103, next to front desk (Ms. Morgan’s previous room)

Ms. Kosow (Director of Student Life):

Ms. Kosow organizes weekend trips, and all of the fun and exciting things around campus. She also has m&ms in her office.

Location: Room 121, in the hallway leading to dining hall (next to Mr. Vachris’ previous room)

Anouk Shin ‘26 and Seoyeon Kim ‘26

The annual St. Mark’s School’s Orientation for new students takes about three days to complete. Everyone on campus is busy- moving, socializing, and settling into the school year. But what do the protagonists of orientation - the new students- think of the experience?

Although the never-ending icebreaker games seemed cheesy at first, we as new students actually enjoyed these community-building opportunities to reach out to other students and potentially make new friends. “...During orientation, I met a lot of new people that I wouldn’t have met if we didn’t do all those games because they’re not in my everyday classes,” says Emma Schillinger, an incoming III Former. Both of us, the authors, also enjoyed the “get-to-know-you”s, as it gave us a taste of who we would be spending our years with.

During orientation, the new St. Markers were engaged in various activities: Choose Your Own Adventure, chapel services, athletic practices, international student desserts, cookouts, and more.

When we asked our interviewees, many replied that their favorite was ‘‘Choose Your Own Adventure’’. Newcomers were given an opportunity to interact with the student leaders and explore their interests- whether it be cage ball, ultimate frisbee, board games, cloister ball, or yoga. Another III Former in the orientation, Ryan Kim, especially “loved the CYOA yoga class,” as he was able to completely detach and relax in preparation for the new academic year.

‘‘Detaching’’ reminds us of our school’s chapel services. On the evening of the first day of orientation, the new students joined their first chapel service. The event was unforgettable. We were first mesmerized by the prestigious architecture and the history of the Belmont Chapel and the experience itself. Reverend Solter and the wardens welcomed us with a remarkable chapel service. Thrilled by this experience, I, Seoyeon, applied for the Interfaith Chapel Council and the Chapel Readers! I personally loved the chapel services the most among all the orientation activities.

At the end of the tightly packed three days, all new students seemed to have learned something about St. Mark’s School and its community, whether it was something of importance or not. For some, it was playing cloister ball and getting used to the campus. For others, it was learning a few new names or making new friends. For me, Anouk, it was realizing how outstandingly supportive and welcoming the student leaders were. Both of us believe that the orientation at St. Mark’s is a tradition that will warmly welcome new students for years to come, and with its myriad of activities, help us call this school home.