Opinions of Community and Equity Day

by Jasmine Liu ‘25

Photo from January 23rd, 2023 Community and Equity Day in the Class of ‘45 Hall

Every year, St. Mark’s School devotes an entire day to an integral aspect of the St. Mark’s experience: community and equity. Community and Equity Day at St. Mark’s School is an annual day-long event dedicated to the exploration of topics related to community and culture. Instead of having classes, students would all gather in the Putnam Family Arts Center (PFAC) Class of ‘45 Hall in the morning to listen to a guest speaker deliver a speech related to the theme of community on C&E Day. The day then follows with house-based conversations throughout the campus, and after lunch, students go back to the PFAC to watch Umoja (Swahili for unity), a student talent show dedicated to sharing different cultures and identities in the St. Mark’s student body.

This year, the Community and Equity office worked hard to bring in “Fearless Inside” movement founder Darryl Bellamy for C&E Day. Darryl Bellamy is a leader who helps inspire “fearless moments” around the world by delivering speeches and presentations to schools across the nation. On January 23rd, 2023, Darryl Bellamy spreads his “Fearless” message to the St. Mark’s community. This presentation ended up being a well-loved aspect of C&E Day with around 60% of students and faculty voting it as their favorite event, according to the C&E day opinion survey sent out last week. “It was an AMAZING presentation,” One Vth Former exclaimed. “I especially liked the moments when Darryl dimmed the lights and created an atmosphere for us to think and reflect.” Another Vth Former remarked that they “learned a lot about overcoming my fears and anxieties by giving myself only a few seconds to react.” Yet despite the positive responses, some students were still skeptical of the presentation. One student commented that they wished “the Fearless talk would have made a stated connection to C&E work” instead of leaving it for students to interpret.

After the “Fearless” presentation, students were separated into their dorm/Burnett house groups to discuss their takeaways from the presentation as well as their personal opinions and experiences around the matter. Some students remarked on the enjoyment of the house-based discussions. “My group had a discussion that lasted the whole time slot,” one student mentioned. “It actually gave me some insights into the perspectives of my groupmates.” However, around 40% of respondents stated that they did not enjoy the house-based conversations as much as they wanted to. One Vth Former mentioned that the conversations “were not beneficial” while another IV Former stated that the house discussions were “unproductive, awkward, and boring.” “I believe third formers should have split up by houses as well to reflect on the topic and discuss amongst their peers instead of using the auditorium where we had spent all morning,” one faculty member asserted, “having the upper class (PDL) added for a power dynamic could have steered many from participating.”

Lastly, after the house-based conversations and lunch, everybody went back to the PFAC Class of ‘45 Hall for the annual student-led celebration, Umoja! During the Umoja celebration, students showcased a variety of their talents from K-pop (Korean pop) dancing to singing songs in their native languages and playing traditional pieces. Many students and faculty enjoyed the Umoja celebration, and one faculty member commented how it was amazing that the celebration was student-led. However, another faculty member did mention that they “wished more faculty were included in the Umoja celebration”.

Ultimately, C&E Day was mostly a success this year with students and faculty giving the event an average of 7.5 to 8 out of 10 ratings. Many students and faculty in the St. Mark’s community had valuable takeaways from the day. “I learned that I am not alone with my fears and that it’s okay for me to be scared,” one Vth Form student commented, “I just need to accept and understand my fears and know that it will be okay.” Another faculty member also stated that C&E day encouraged their self-confidence to “step out of their comfort zone”. “Cool things happen if you are willing to challenge your fears,” they added.

Yet, some students also have topics they want to see for the future of Community and Equity Day. “I think other topics to explore in the future can include mental health (stress, anxiety, competition (academic, leadership, etc.) among students and friends), gender, and sexuality,” One student remarked. “Gender will be a hard topic to keep people engaged in, but if there is a creative way or a unique perspective to share with the entire school, it would be great.” Another faculty member also wished to see some focus on diversity, the importance of representation, and the meaning behind thinking deeply.

In summary, according to the C&E opinions survey, the majority of students and faculty at St. Mark’s thought that this year was a “good example” of what C&E Day should be like. While some members of the St. Mark’s community still have some skepticism and doubts about this year’s C&E Day, the event generally seems to be following the right path to many more impactful topics for the future.

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?