by Rick Sarkar ‘19

Every spring, the student body and faculty elect eight rising seniors to serve as the student leaders of the school for the following year. These eight work closely with Dr. Warren, their faculty advisor, and meet weekly with Mr. Warren and Mr. Vachris. They are responsible for running school meeting, keeping student morale high, and representing the interests of the student body to the faculty and administration. Perhaps most importantly, these are the folks who send out those all-school emails! Be sure to say hi to any of the monitors when you see them around school, and do not hesitate to reach out to any of them when you have a concern you want addressed. Below are brief introductions of the monitors, starting with your 2018-19 head monitors, Tom Paugh and Zoe Maddox.

Tom Paugh

First name/Nickname/Last name

Tom/Tom Paugh/Paugh

Hometown

Wayland, MA

What animal would you be and why?

A giraffe--peaceful, has a long neck, loves munching on veggies

Why did you want to be a monitor?

I wanted to make a positive impact on the school that has given so much to me over the past three years. I knew that it was going to be a lot of work, but in my opinion making students and the faculty happy is well worth the work.

Favorite kitchen utensil?

Blender

Where do you see yourself at your SM 10th reunion?

Hopefully employed

Favorite thing about SM

My friends.

Zoe Maddox

First name/Nickname/Last name
1. Zoe/Robby Harper’s Girlfriend/Maddox
Hometown
1. Southborough, MA
2. But born in New Haven, Connecticut
3. And spent 6 important developmental years in Midland, Texas.
What animal would you be and why?
1. A fox because they are small and nimble, but also quick and effective. Also they’re pretty cute. Also Fantastic Mr. Fox is my favorite movie. AND they have a very famous song. Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding! Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding! Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!
Why did you want to be a monitor?
1. I think that at SM there are certain leadership positions that have more direct impact on the school than others. Monitor, in my opinion, has the biggest direct impact. I did not run for monitor so that it would look pretty on my college applications. I did it because I genuinely care about this school and want to make a positive impact that will hopefully last long after I graduate. (If I graduate (; lol)
Favorite kitchen utensil?
1. Sharp high quality knives. J. A. Henckels international is my prefered brand.
Where do you see yourself at your SM 10th reunion?
1. I just hope I’m happy.
Favorite thing about SM
1. Either athletics or the classics department. Of course SMGVS will forever hold a special place in my heart, but how could I forgot the team on campus with the most diverse skill range, JV girls hockey, or varsity softball which is a beast all its own. But aside from the athletics, over these past three years I have fallen in love with Latin and Greek even though I am very bad at both of the dead languages.

Jason Zhang

First name/Nickname/Last name
1. Jason/JJ or Jay Z as in the rapper/Zhang
Hometown
1. Westborough, Massachusetts
What animal would you be and why?
1. Narwhal no explanation needed.
Why did you want to be a monitor?
1. I wanted to be a resource for the student community. High school hits everyone with a lot of expected and unexpected challenges. Even if I might not have experienced your’s, I’d love to learn more about it and help you overcome it.
Favorite kitchen utensil?
1. Salt shaker.
Where do you see yourself at your SM 10th reunion?
1. Hopefully I’ll be able to dunk by then.
Favorite thing about SM
1. I don’t know why but I really like the chapel breakfast sandwiches. They’re very convenient to take into your morning class and I always make sure to double up on the sausage patties.

Kate Normandin

First name/Nickname/Last name
1. Katherine/Kate/Knorms Normandin
Hometown
1. Wellesley, Massachusetts
What animal would you be and why?
1. I would be a sea otter because I love swimming and I like to think I’m really cute, but can be vicious if provoked.
Why did you want to be a monitor?
1. I knew if I was a monitor I would have the platform to radiate my positivity to all of the community. While some people may find it unnerving to always have your peers watching you, I think it is a great chance to lead by example and use this subtle power to make people's lives better.
Favorite kitchen utensil?
1. A marshmallow roasting stick.
Where do you see yourself at your SM 10th reunion?
1. Honestly, living on a horse farm in rural Canada with 82 dogs.
Favorite thing about SM
1. I said this at Meet the Monitors last year, and a lot of people probably thought I said school meeting as an answer trying to appeal to the crowd. However, it really is my favorite thing about St. Mark’s. Honestly, I think having the whole school in one space listening to music and announcements for 20 minutes twice a week really brings us together. It separates us from other schools, and allows us to learn and care about the totality of our community.

Matt Hart

First name/Nickname/Last name

Matt/Cooler than Tom/Hart

Hometown

Westford, MA

What animal would you be and why?

A tiger because Tiger’s back

Why did you want to be a monitor?

I love SM and I want to be able to stand behind the school. There are traditions that could be tweaked to better fit our community, and I ran for monitor because I wanted to make those tweaks.

Favorite kitchen utensil?

Melon Baller

Where do you see yourself at your SM 10th reunion?

Hopefully still being cooler than Tom.

Favorite thing about SM

Easily the friends I’ve made here over the past four years.

Zeñia Alarcón

First name/Nickname/Last name

Zeñia Alarcón

Hometown

Brooklyn, New York (LETSSS GET IT!!)

What animal would you be and why?

An Owl because I am a hoot, LOL

Why did you want to be a monitor?

I wanted to be monitor because I wanted to be able to set the tone for the school, and create a more positive community. I wanted to do more for the SM community and initiate change.

Favorite kitchen utensil?

Spoon to be honest, who needs a fork or knife

Where do you see yourself at your SM 10th reunion?

I see myself with a job living it up in the Big Apple (possibly…).

Favorite thing about SM

The friendships I have made during my time here at SM are my favorite things. Whether they were from day 1 or towards the end of my time here, all of them matter to me.

Rwick Sarkar

First name/Nickname/Last name

Rwick/Rick/Tiny Rick/Sarkar

Hometown

Winchester, MA

What animal would you be and why?

Polar bears: they are the cutest.

Why did you want to be a monitor?

I wanted to be someone who could give new students a warm welcome to SM, help make this a great year, and work to make positive change to make SM a more inclusive community.

Favorite kitchen utensil?

Obviously the spatula.

Where do you see yourself at your SM 10th reunion?

Still running

Favorite thing about SM

SMXC. And spending hours in the dining hall with my friends.

Shelby Howard

First name/Nickname/Last name
1. Shelby/Shelburrito/Howard
Hometown
1. Ashland, MA
What animal would you be and why?
1. I would be a pigeon so I could fly and deliver mail to people.
Why did you want to be a monitor?
1. I wanted to be a monitor because I wanted the opportunity to make our community the best it can possibly be. Also, I’m always late to chapel so the saved seat is pretty nice.
Favorite kitchen utensil?
1. Colander because pasta is bae.
Where do you see yourself at your SM 10th reunion?
1. Being fluent in German and wearing a dirndl.
Favorite thing about SM
1. I know saying ‘the people’ is the most stereotypical answer, but it’s true for me. My peers and teachers always challenge me to be my best self which is something I am so grateful for. Oh, and 009 because I am extremely competitive:)