By Karry Kim ‘25, Hannah Cha ‘25
In the first week of school as a new third former, my friend and I decided to “explore” the traditional, antique section of the library. After passing the reading lounge section, we walked all the way to the Parkman Room, which we thought looked so grand through the windows of the hallway. When we arrived at the room, we cracked the door open, completely unaware of the senior privilege rules. The room was empty. Little did we know that the space is reserved for seniors; filled with excitement, we went up and down the stairs to the balcony, took a seat in the fancy chairs and couches, and looked into the artifacts displayed on the walls. We admired out loud how old all the books and the room were until a student walked into the room to inform us about the rules of the Parkman Room and the balcony. Like my experience, I have been hearing many stories from III form friends who have been confused about senior privileges, ending up getting attention from all the returners near them.
For those who are new to the St. Mark’s Community, the senior privileges that exist now are:
The senior quad (the grass square near the front desk) is only allowed for senior students
Platform in the dining hall can only be used by seniors
The Parkman Room is reserved for seniors during study hall (the official time is from 7:30 to 9:30)
6th formers and faculty leave first after chapel
Desserts are served for seniors at evening chapel
Box seats in the chapel are reserved for seniors and faculty
(The study room in the center is not officially a senior privilege but is generally occupied by seniors)
One exception is, if invited to sit in the senior quad or the platform in the dining hall, students of any form are welcome to do so.
Senior Platform
Mr. Warren, a 1974 graduate of St. Mark explains that during his years in the school as a student, the tradition of the platform in the dining hall did not exist; students of any form could sit at the platform. The platform was built during the early twentieth century when the Dining Hall was renovated to be broadened. On the platform, there was one long table placed horizontally from wall to wall, where the Head of School and his wife with around twenty-five students sat for seated lunch and dinner. It was the late 1980s when the tradition started, as the long table was replaced by the shorter tables that exist in our dining hall now.
Parkman Room
During Mr. Warren’s years at St. Mark’s as a student, the tradition of the Parkman Room did not exist either. Instead, the sixth formers used room 136, which is currently used by Ms. Kelly as her classroom, as a sixth form common room. Similar to how students now use The Center as a sort of common room to hang out, sixth form students played games and talked with friends in room 136 during their free periods.
In the 1980s, as the athletic center was built, the sixth form common room was changed from Room 136 to the Dixon room. The Dixon room was previously the girl’s locker room before the construction of the athletic center. The area was used as a sixth form common room for almost thirty years, until 2012 when the Dixon Room was changed into the Lion’s Den. In 2006, some VI formers requested the school to run a snack bar at the Lion’s Den. When this request was accepted, it underwent a process of renovation by FLIK and became the Lion’s Den today. This is why the door leading to the Lion’s Den has the sign “Dixon Room, VI Form Room”. As compensation for the loss of the Dixon Room, the senior head monitors requested to have the Parkman Room during evening hours. As a result, the Parkman Room is granted to the seniors each year, which is a tradition that remains continuing.
VI Form Room
Room 136 now
Senior Quad
One senior privilege that existed far before the 1970s is the senior quad. It has always been a space dedicated to sixth formers. One unique senior privilege that existed only in the past is that after having seated dinner every night, the seniors were allowed to go to the faculty room to have coffee. Afterward, they often played cribbage, a card game.
“I believe in traditions.” Mr. Warren says. Following traditions and keeping them is very important, but at the same time, it is imperative that we make modifications to fit the changing world and its values. “There was too much hierarchy in the olden days,” says Mr. Warren. He says that too many traditions and unspoken rules existed in his past years in St. Mark’s as a student, which separated the seniors and the rest of the school. As the Head of School, he looks forward to making 6th formers feel special and feel the responsibilities of being a senior while keeping the traditions small enough to keep the community together. “We always have to look for the right balance between senior privileges and the community as a whole,” he stated.
As our “Intentionally small, thinking big” school continues to pursue our goal of having an intimate community, we need to continue to find a way that senior privileges could be reasonable for all students in St. Mark’s.