School Traditions

School traditions mark major milestones on the path to manhood, connecting students across grades and generations and keeping them firmly rooted in the history of the School.
Traditions such as the Senior Buddy program and the All-School Christmas Party link upperclassmen with the Lower School, helping the older boys embrace their role as mentors. Others, such as Blue Shirt Day for rising seniors, signal new responsibilities and privileges that come with growing up.

As a whole, these traditions knit together the past, present and future of St. Mark’s into one seamless brotherhood, joining the oldest alumni and the youngest students together with the shared experience of being a Marksman.

    • Blue Shirt Day

      All St. Mark's students wear the same white Oxford shirt — except seniors. On the last day of their junior year, the rising senior class dons their Blue Shirts for the first time, assuming the mantle of leadership for the student body.

    • Leadership Loops

      Linking together assembly, class meetings and advisory, Leadership Loops provide Middle School students with a structure for discussing topics of character like gratitude, stress relief and reciprocal care. Boys are introduced to a concept, spend time reflecting and writing and then engage in small-group discussion.

    • Senior/Lower School Buddies

      Boys in grades 1-3 are each assigned a senior buddy to meet with throughout the year. The older boys learn to become mentors while the younger boys gain valuable role models.

    • Pecos Wilderness Trip

      A rite of passage for Upper School boys, the Pecos Trip is a 10-day excursion through the Santa Fe National Forest. Led by experienced faculty, staff and student guides, the trip solidifies the bonds of brotherhood and is often regarded as a highlight of the St. Mark's experience.

    • Banner Chapel

      To celebrate the holiday season, each fourth-grade Marksman designs and crafts a banner celebrating his unique heritage and background.

    • Leadership Wall

      Each year, Lower School boys research, nominate and elect a new historical figure to their Leadership Wall, located in the Lower School entrance. Previous inductees include Neil Armstrong, Malala Yousafzai and Nelson Mandela.

    • Baccalaureate

      Before graduating, the Senior Class holds its final Chapel service. As faculty process into the Chapel, the seniors line the walkway, applauding their former teachers. At the end of the service, the faculty recess out and return the favor, applauding as their soon-to-be former students exit the Chapel.

    • Commencement

      Dressed in white dinner jackets, graduating seniors celebrate Commencement and the start of their next journey to make a positive impact on the world. Student leaders and guest speakers address the boys, and the class sings the alma mater together before departing as St. Mark's alumni.

    • Step-Up Chapel

      At the first Middle School Chapel of the year, each class steps up, figuratively and literally, to a new place in the Chapel. This move symbolizes each boy's newfound privileges and responsibilities.

    • Grandparents’ Day

      Grandparents are invited to spend the day with their Marksmen and get a glimpse of daily life at 10600 Preston Road.

    • Lion Pride Night

      Early in the school year, the community celebrates Lion Pride Night, an all-school spirit party and picnic on the Quad.

    • All-School Christmas Party

      On the last day before Christmas break, the entire school gathers in the Great Hall as seniors carry their Lower School buddies in to decorate the Christmas tree.

St. Mark’s School of Texas

10600 Preston Road
Dallas, Texas 75230
214-346-8000

About Us

St. Mark’s School of Texas is a private, nonsectarian college-preparatory boys’ day school for students in grades 1 through 12, located in Dallas, Texas. St. Mark’s aims to prepare young men to assume leadership and responsibility in a competitive and changing world.

St. Mark’s does not discriminate in the administration of its admission and education policies on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.