In Search of an Equitable St Mark’s

By gina yang ‘24

As the world becomes painfully aware of widespread systemic racism and with social justice movements developing all over the globe, it has become increasingly clear that schools like St. Mark’s must work to establish true racial equality. While many institutions may claim to be “antiracist,” the reality is that simply claiming to oppose racism is not enough. It is necessary to actively work towards becoming an antiracist community, one that aggressively dismantles the structures and biases that perpetuate racial inequality. 

To begin, St. Mark’s must acknowledge that racism exists within its community, just as it does in society at large. While some may feel uncomfortable discussing issues of race and racism, it is crucial that we engage in honest and open dialogue about these topics. This may involve creating safe spaces for BIPOC students and faculty to share their experiences and perspectives, as well as offering training and resources for all members of the community to learn about antiracism and allyship. 

In addition to encouraging open dialogue, St. Mark’s must also take concrete steps to address racial inequality. This could involve hiring and promoting more BIPOC faculty and staff, reevaluating disciplinary policies to ensure that they are not disproportionately impacting students of color, and reviewing the curriculum to ensure that it is inclusive and representative of all perspectives. The St. Mark’s community, as a whole, must also address the subtle forms of racism that can exist within our community, such as micro-aggressions, stereotyping, and exclusionary behavior. 

However, becoming an antiracist community requires continuous effort and a willingness to listen and adapt. St. Mark’s must be willing to critically examine its practices and policies and make changes when necessary. This may involve seeking feedback from BIPOC students and faculty and implementing restorative justice programs to address the harm caused by racism or other forms of discrimination. We must also be willing to acknowledge and address our own biases and work towards becoming better allies to BIPOC individuals.

To truly achieve racial equality at St. Mark’s, we must actively work towards dismantling the structures and biases that perpetuate racial inequality. This requires a sustained and intentional effort and a willingness to examine and challenge our own beliefs and practices. We must create a community that actively promotes diversity and inclusion and values and respects all members, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or background. By doing so, we can create a culture of antiracism at St. Mark’s that goes beyond superficial changes.

A Case for Ethnic Studies Courses

by Jonathan Hernández ‘24

At St. Mark’s, students are allowed to learn from a wide variety of perspectives and backgrounds. We have students who come from across the globe to learn. However, while the students come from diverse backgrounds, the material they are taught is not always representative of that key fact. One of the largest instances of this lack of support comes from a lack of representation in the curriculum. Students learn about history from a primarily Eurocentric perspective, restricting them from learning about different histories and perspectives.

To combat the dangerous single narrative, Ethnic Studies courses come to the rescue.

Ethnic studies courses offer a large array of benefits ranging from giving students tools to understand social issues and a deeper understanding of the experiences of others to better support systems for Black, Latine/Latinx, and Indigenous students.  

Firstly, Ethnic Studies courses (particularly those in History and Literature) highlight the roles of race and ethnicity as they shape identities and experiences. Some focuses of Ethnic Studies include, but are not limited to Chicanx/Latinx Studies, African American Studies, Indigenous studies, or Asian American Studies. These types of courses focus on a particular identity and give insight into the history, culture, and experiences of people with these identities. 

Due to their nature, Ethnic Studies courses present students with the opportunity to better understand social issues such as racism (and to a lesser extent colorism). They do so by illustrating how systems of oppression have and still disenfranchise people of color, highlighting numerous other issues the communities face. This provides an opportunity for students to gain empathy and a more comprehensive cultural consciousness as they learn about the experiences of others. This benefit is a trait that is valued at St. Mark’s, an institution keen on teaching global citizenship and an appreciation for the cultures and perspectives of others. Such emphasis can be demonstrated more thoroughly through Ethnic Studies courses and should then be adopted by the institution. 

Further, Ethnic Studies courses provide support and visibility for students of color. In learning about their histories, students of color can feel seen. They can feel comforted by the knowledge that their history is important and taught in their schools. They can feel proud to know that their history is rich, beautiful, and worth learning in school just as much as the eurocentric histories plentifully available. This is one way to promote inclusivity, the feeling of pride and belonging in an institution because your history and culture are being taught in class. 

Rephrased, St. Mark’s School should provide students with Ethnic Studies courses to support systems as they develop cultural consciousness and empathy for others and to better support students from marginalized groups. 

Sources

Nguyen, Hoa P. “Through Ethnic Studies, Schools Push to Include Marginalized Perspectives.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 21 May 2021, www.edutopia.org/article/through-ethnic-studies-schools-push-include-marginalized-perspectives/.

Are Snow Days Necessary?

By Rory Hutchins’25

The joy of snow falling and getting the sudden email from the dean that there is no school always leaves students with a euphoric feeling. However, with the rise of Covid, snow days started to dwindle. What was snow to stop school when Zoom was at our fingertips? When asking sophomore Kat Dai ‘25, she stated that “snow days are important because they are so unexpected. These days offer time for relaxation and are beneficial for student’s mental health, especially during long winter weeks.” 

Those who are pro Zoom snow days have stated that snow days would add more time to summer break, but the truth is students would benefit more from a sporadic break. Zoom snow days also offer another plethora of problems. Digital classes and staring at a screen for five hours straight can be damaging to one’s health. Snow days offer the perfect amount of time to relax and recover from school as that gives students and teachers a chance to rejuvenate before continuing on with the remainder of their week. 

Zoom classes also cause more harm than good to all parties involved. Teachers have to spend their snow days setting up Zoom links, many of which tend to have problems. Snow days often cause power lines to fall down, or the internet to slow which in turn is a huge burden for the student or teacher trying to join the Zoom call. 

Additionally, after a long day of Zoom classes, there is then more homework added which is usually digital as well. Zoom-day snow days have no beneficial impact on students and diminish the excitement of snowfall in general.

Athletic Schedule Affects Academic Productivity

By Rachel Ding’26

Afternoon Study Hall in the Library

Along with the start of window two arrives a new athletic season for sixteen teams. As limited athletic facilities affect winter sport practice times for basketball, ice hockey, and squash, late practices and contingent productivity of study hours bear the consequence. Two courts, Elkins and the FAC are allotted for five Basketball teams: Boys Varsity, Boys JV, Boys Thirds, Girls Varsity, and Girls JV. Four Ice Hockey teams: Boys Varsity, Boys JV, Girls Varsity, and Girls JV, rotate practice on Gardner Rink. Four teams: Boys Varsity/JV, Boys Thirds, Girls Varsity/JV, and Girls Thirds share six squash courts. Thus, afternoon study hall has been introduced to evenly distribute practice hours in the limited court and rink spaces particular to these sports.

From the standard study hall hours of 7:30 to 9:30 PM, thirteen teams have alternated practice times each day, thus periodically shifting their study hours to 3:30 to 5:30 PM. While the amount of time remains constant, the inconsistent occurrence has taken a toll on student academic productivity. Science claims that “learning is most effective between 10 AM to 2 PM and from 4 PM to 10 PM when the brain is in an acquisition mode” (“When Is the Best Time to Study: Morning, Noon or Night?”). Between 1 PM and 4 PM, many experience a period of decreased energy, fatigue, and lack of focus, also referred to as an afternoon slump in response to changes in circadian rhythm (Tolliver). The thirty-minute overlap of unproductivity (1-4 PM) consists of ¼ of afternoon study hall hours (3:30-5:30 PM). Thus, a fourth of the allotted study time lacks efficiency and effectiveness of homework completion and effort.

Switching between standard study hall hours (7:30 PM to 9:30 PM) and afternoon study hall (3:30 PM to 5:30 PM), student-athletes experience a lack of consistency. Scheduled and structured study sessions increase productivity, incorporating a level of familiarity, preparation, and routine, as well as helping to “ensure you study daily” and improve “the quality of your study time” (“When Is the Best Time to Study: Morning, Noon or Night?”). 

Afternoon study hall coincides with the afternoon slump, as fatigue and lack of concentration diminish productivity. With the additional erratic occurrence of such study hours, a lack of consistency corresponds to a lack of productivity.

Works Cited

Loveless, Becton. “10 Habits of Highly Effective Students.” Education Corner, 

https://www.educationcorner.com/habits-of-successful-students.html#:~:text=Study%20at%20the%20same%20time,regular%20part%20of%20your%20life.

Tolliver, Laura Jazmin. “Why You’Re So Tired After Lunch: The Afternoon Slump Explained.” 

Edited by Katie E. Golden, GoodRX Health, 26 Jan. 2022, https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/sleep/why-tired-afternoon-slump. 

“When Is the Best Time to Study: Morning, Noon or Night?” PSB Academy, 17 Jan. 2020, 

https://www.psb-academy.edu.sg/blog/best-time-to-study.

A New Chapter for Saturday Classes

By Ian Cho ‘26

Are you interested in building your own book? Do you want to produce an original 3-minute narrative film or learn how to produce stunning content for your social media? How about helping young athletes with and without intellectual disabilities participate in basketball tournaments? With the 2022-23 winter Saturday classes, you can explore diverse, inventive opportunities, ranging from media production to volunteer opportunities. 

Unlike standard classes, the Saturday classes at St. Mark’s fully empower real-world experience. This means students will, as written in the ‘2022-2023 SM Saturday Course Guide’, “engage in interdisciplinary, hands-on, responsive learning.” For instance, instead of simply learning about issues around human migration, students will take the initiative and advocate for and volunteer at an organization. Through these classes, students will gain new perspectives and skills and develop leadership and confidence.

The classes will take place on just five Saturdays this season: January 7th, January 14th, January 28th, February 11th, and February 25th. They generally begin at 9:00 am after school meetings and end at 11:30 am.

A few weeks ago, students filled out a google form to rank their top five choices for their Saturday classes. Unfortunately, not everyone will get enrolled in their first-choice class. To stimulate and create an environment for quality and robust conversations, relationships, and collaboration, there is a limited and minimum number of slots available for each class. 

During the fall Saturday class season, Third-formers and Sixth-formers took their core classes. Core classes are mandatory Saturday classes customized to fit the needs of students of different forms. The main objective behind core classes is to gradually learn our roles as global citizens and as part of the St. Mark’s community. This season, the Fifth-formers will take their ‘V Form College Core,’ and the Sixth-formers will take their ‘VI Form Lion Term Design Core.’ 

As students progress through their St. Mark’s career, it is important to think about what components make up their identity and who they want to be in college in the future. In the  ‘V Form College Core’ class, students will start to establish skills and habits that will help them in the college application process. 

In the ‘VI Form Lion Term Design Core’ class, Sixth-form students will plan for their 2023 Lion Term. The ‘2022-2023 SM Saturday Course Guide’ describes that “Together, the VI Form Winter Saturday and Lion Term provide a framework for students to chart their courses, capitalizing on their time at St. Mark’s while also possibly previewing future endeavors.”

Students participating in the Term Global Trip will register for a winter elective instead. 

There are many exciting opportunities and experiences that await students in the winter Saturday class season! What will your next chapter for Saturday Classes look like?

To learn more about the upcoming Saturday class season, visit the course guide document.

Winter Break: Locations and Opinions

by Anouk Shin’26

Winter break is just around the corner, less than a month after the week and a half long Thanksgiving break. Preceding it is a week of assessments, due dates, and an overall hectic schedule. 

St. Markers will be visiting family and friends all over the fifty states for Winter Break, staying in Rhode Island, California, Georgia, Connecticut, New York, Minnesota, and Virginia–to name just a few. International students will be going overseas to their home countries, or staying with host families. Nevertheless, it seems as though home is a very common destination for winter break, and a destination much preferred over school. Ivy Song ‘26 says, “It’s Christmas and New Year– I don’t want to spend it in school.”

However, winter break is a slightly controversial topic among St. Markers. Most express that winter break is “necessary,” especially due to assessment week and the fact that Christmas (for those who celebrate it) as well as New Year’s day both happen over the break. Others, however, believe it to be a “hassle,” and international students in particular have trouble finding plane tickets or places to stay with the awkwardly placed, intermittent Winter and Thanksgiving breaks. Consequently, international students, although agreeing with the notion of winter break, wish that it were combined with Thanksgiving Break. 

Still other students think that Winter Break is not necessary at all–just a nice way to come together with family in the holiday spirit. As Max Wang ‘26 states, “Winter break is not needed, but students like it.” My opinion on winter break leans towards this sentiment. I feel as though it would be best for all students if winter break were “optional” and did not require a move out of campus, in a similar fashion to Family Weekend. While some students may choose to visit their families, others who do not prefer to move out would be able to stay in the dorms with their friends instead, with weekend activities available. 

Whether you think that winter break is necessary or not, I hope all St. Markers get through the chaotic weeks with rest to look forward to!

School in Between Breaks?!

by Vanessa Leung ‘25

After a hopefully wonderful Thanksgiving break full of rest and reunion, students force themselves back into the daily rigor of school and athletics. Of course, shifting from 10 hours of sleep and idling around back to the compacted school schedule is never easy, but as this cycle gradually repeats and we slowly get back into the fast-paced lifestyle that once dominated our lives since the beginning of the school year we are then thrown back into an 18 day break and again into the slow, relaxing rhythm of a holiday mood. 

In between Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks stands an awkward three-week period of school. Like an advertisement in between a suspenseful moment in your TV show, this interval stops you from enjoying holiday life. Perhaps these three weeks are a way for St. Mark’s to shift from fall to winter season, but at the same time the three weeks in between the two breaks do raise challenges for many students. 

On the first day back after break, many students have jokingly commented on how the school should’ve also included the three weeks in between the two breaks off as they don’t see the point in having only a short period of school. Students who don’t live locally talked about the inconveniences of having to unpack back from break only soon to pack up again for Christmas. International students also stated the possibility to travel back to their home countries for a longer duration if the two holidays were connected. 

These three weeks however shouldn’t be seen as just a mere pause from break. As we all know, this period is full of abnormalities such as the Monday-Friday special schedule, Lessons and Carols, Songfest, and assessment week. Songfest, held on Friday December 2, was a blast as each dorm house competed and showcased their performances of dancing to a Christmas themed song. After the Songfest winners were announced (congrats to Thayer and Sculley 2!) was the Christmas tree lighting, where St. Markers were allowed to get into an early holiday festivity with their friends and school community. Lessons and Carols would also be held in Chapel where students perform and sing along to Christmas carol songs. Of course, there is also assessment week, where classes assign projects or tests for students on their assessment day. Yet do not worry as there will be an Exam bake, a place to get homemade sweets and snacks brought in by parents, to encourage you on!

While this may not be your typical three weeks of school, this time period definitely shouldn’t be overlooked, as it is a time to get into a festive mood and get all your major academic work done so you don’t have to worry about it over break!

The Case Against Assessment Week

By Steven Yang ‘23

Like clockwork, hundreds of St. Markers will study hours for their midterms during assessment week, working tirelessly for a positive academic start to Window 2. But balancing the beginning of winter athletics and up to seven classes is already difficult for many students—is assessment week really necessary?

Assessment week currently has a unique schedule, with students having two long blocks every day that each lasts two hours, one from 8:30 to 10:30 and the other from 1 to 3. Wednesday morning consists of a reading block, where students essentially have free time to use however they want, for example, as a sleep-in or just extra study time. Athletic practices still happen for most students, meaning their afternoons are still taken up and not allowed for studying. The upside of this schedule, though, is that students retain free time from 10:30 until 1 every day, and can use that to study in addition to the time offered during the reading block and any frees.

The issue is the large disparity between what teachers do for assessment week, as they have lots of freedom as to what they do. Some assign group projects weeks in advance, presenting their final project during assessment week. Others watch movies and use the block as an opportunity for students to relax. Only some teachers actually use “assessments”, or tests, during their time. 

As a result, some students will have a stressful assessment week, with five or six tests—others will have no tests at all. This makes assessment week virtually pointless. In a normal week, students get varying amounts of testing and work anyway. Assessment week doesn’t change that, but with the negative consequence of cutting class time for all classes. Even though classes wouldn’t meet on Friday due to the beginning of Winter Break, all classes would meet for longer in an abridged week with a normal schedule. Why keep assessment week if it isn’t having its intended effect?

Sustainability is a Community Effort

By Andrea Xu’23

I was piqued to learn more about the sustainability program because a flickering lamp next to the Chapel on the Front Circle lawn haunted my friend Ariel. Before conversing with school leaders, I needed to be better informed about the sustainability campaigns on campus. Having interviewed Wendy Wu, co-head of Students for Sustainability (S4S), and Ms. Lohwater, Sustainability Coordinator at St. Mark’s, I feel empowered to appreciate the sincerity in simple actions. Energy conservation is vital in a time of war sanctions, in which restricted access to natural gas drives energy prices high. 

Words from Ms. Lohwater

Last Saturday, I interviewed Ms. Lohwater, a Biology teacher at St. Mark’s, about her visions for the school’s sustainability campaign. In addition to advising S4S, the Student for Sustainability club, she has the title “Sustainability Coordinator,” where she sets and tracks the school’s sustainability goals and helps coordinate members in our community to achieve those goals. Last year, in 2021, Ms. Lohwater approved the Climate Action Plan to reduce carbon emissions by 10% by 2025 and replace new LED lightbulbs. (Want to know more about sustainability? Click here: stmarksschool.org/campus-life/sustainability) Ms. Lohwater said, “They’re not exciting for anyone, but they are important.” 

For instance, the steam plants across from Health Services use natural gas to produce steam used to heat the campus. Recently, the school repaired many of the steam traps, which reduced the amount of steam lost through the piping system. While the repair would only cost $50,000, this one-time expenditure paves the way for saving the school $50,000 and buying more natural gases each year!

Another example of utilizing solar energy is her role in the new dorm architecture process. Ms. Lohwater noted that solar plants cover 50%-60% of the energy input in the building.

In the upcoming week, Ms. Lohwater will meet with the administrative teams from all departments to coordinate their partnerships and her sustainability goals. Again, she reiterates that this can’t be done alone, and everybody in the community needs to partake in the environmentalist cause. 

Unlike many other faculty at St. Mark’s, it’s noteworthy that Ms. Lohwater doesn’t coach sports. “Sustainability takes up at least a fifth of my work hours. My other workloads include being a House parent and teaching.” Ms. Lohwater interposed while pouring her sincere passion for being the sustainability coordinator. She also meets with the board of trustees when they come to visit the school. The board of trustees doesn’t need to be convinced of the motivation behind the campaigns. Nonetheless, they must know that the missions are good for the environment and a financial win. The less the school spends on gasoline, the cheaper it is to run the school.

Ms. Lohwater noted that her personal goal for 2022 is to refocus on the sustainability goal at St. Mark’s. Before the pandemic, the sustainability committee marked progress for the school to be environmentally aware. Then, COVID hit. Much of what the school had previously achieved is dissipated by the stint of the pandemic. Many eco-conscious habits, like turning off the lights in the library after 10 PM, or proper recycling, are lost in our community. “There’s no global issue more urgent than climate change,” Ms. Lohwater remarked on the dire situation of the ongoing climate change. Ms. Lohwater encouraged us to know that everyone has a part to play: we can’t fix the things we don’t know. 

Voices from A Student Leader

Wendy Wu ’24, one of the co-heads of S4S, introduced me to the student-led sustainability group. The theme for this upcoming year is upcycling. Unlike last year where the team covered all the themes of sustainability, a focus on a specific topic can be more productive. “We can’t really do our best if we wanted to cover all of them. Instead, I thought about narrowing it down to one topic,” Wendy said. Upcycling is the concept of taking waste and creating something new from it in its current state. Wendy told me that upcycling is not limited to collecting worn clothing items. Things like old stationeries, household utensils, and furniture are all valid. S4S plans to organize a trade fair, similar to a flea market, to collect recyclable wastes. “It’s similar to the Green Move Out this May.” She reminded me. A more thrilling move is potentially to organize weekend trips to vintage stores for the upcycling cause. 

Thinking about likely areas of improvement in the coming year, Wendy underscored that the gesture of sustainability is not to win praise, but instead integrate this conscious habit into our life. She also hoped that students could have more agency over sustainability. “Our club advisor, Ms. Lohwater, encouraged the school to recycle plastic bottles. But people still purchase plastics anyway.” As the student leader, Wendy wanted students to take more responsibility for the sustainability initiatives, for thus, the spirit of sustainability is more firmly implanted in the St. Mark’s culture.