News Archive

On the morning of December 15, 2017, the entire St. Mark’s student body gathered in the W. W. Browning, Jr., Great Hall with faculty, staff, parents, and alumni for the annual All-School Christmas Party.

To help ring in the holiday season, St. Mark's Choir sang its 66th Festival of Lessons & Carols on Tuesday, December 12, in the St. Mark's Chapel.

The holiday season is underway and that means the Senior Class is once again encouraging the St. Mark’s community to give back. 

For its tenth annual Senior Leadership Dinner, the Character and Leadership Development Program invited Ned Price ’01 to speak to the Class of 2018.

Thanks to the support of a dedicated group of alumni, the J. J. Connolly Master Teaching Chair was announced before Mr. Connolly’s passing in 2014. The Chair reached full funding early this year and will come online at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year.

In just its second year, St. Mark's Model United Nations team earned numerous honors at the Baylor University Model United Nations Conference earlier this month.

As Americans pause to remember our veterans, students at St. Mark’s have taken opportunities to both honor and learn from those who served.

At a special meeting of the faculty this morning, Eugene McDermott Headmaster David Dini announced that, after a nationwide search, Dean Clayman has been selected to serve as St. Mark’s Head of Middle School. In addition, Jason Lange will continue serving as Assistant Head of Middle School.

St. Mark’s welcomed Distinguished Alumnus Robert Edsel ’75 back to campus as the Willard E. Walker, Jr. ’66 Visiting Scholar.

On Friday, October 27, more than 75 teachers from across North Texas gathered on campus for the 2017 St. Mark’s Teacher Institute.

On Thursday, October 26, 2017, more than 40 health and security professionals from across the Dallas/Ft. Worth area gathered on St. Mark’s campus for a Stop the Bleed training.

Paleoanthropologist Dr. Lee Berger returned to campus on Tuesday, October 10, to share some of the newest discoveries from his excavation of Homo naledi at Rising Star Cave in South Africa.

Last Friday, as most of the School enjoyed a day off, members of St. Mark’s Debate Team were hard at work hosting the 2017 Heart of Texas Invitational Speech and Debate Tournament.

Cal Rothkrug ’18 has been named a regional finalist and a national semifinalist in the Siemens Competition, the nation’s premier competition in math, science, and technology for high school students.

One of the greatest assets to St. Mark’s alumni is the power of the Marksman Network. The brotherhood forged on campus extends across decades, growing stronger with each generation.

On Saturday, September 30, 2017, 26 Marksmen were recognized as winners in the 2017 Chinese Calligraphy Competition hosted by the Confucius Institute at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Last summer, Dylan Liu ’19 spent the first few weeks of his summer vacation hard at work practicing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto, No.1 five hours a day.

St. Mark’s mourns the loss of beloved cafeteria worker Thelma Levells, who passed away on September 23, 2017.

As communities along the Gulf Coast continue recovering from Hurricane Harvey, Marksmen are doing what they can to help out their fellow Texans.

Umer Nadir ’15 is helping lead a campus-based emergency medical response group at the University of Texas at Dallas.

During their weekly Assembly on September 13, 2017, St. Mark’s Middle Schoolers heard from surprise guests on the other side of the planet.

The National Merit Scholarship Program has named 13 members of the Class of 2018 as Semifinalists based on each student’s 2016 PSAT/NMSQTscores.

At a special faculty meeting on Thursday, September 14, 2017, Eugene McDermott Headmaster David W. Dini shared the exciting news of a new endowed teaching position.

As flood waters recede from the Texas coast, the St. Mark’s community is answering the calls for help.

Eugene McDermott Headmaster David W. Dini offers thoughts, prayers, and support to those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

In June 2017, four members of the St. Mark’s Science Department led ten Upper Schoolers on a scientific expedition through West Texas where they explored the world both above and below.

On the morning of Tuesday, August 22, 2017, St. Mark’s School of Texas welcomed 879 boys to campus for its 111th first day of school. Across 10600 Preston Road, students filed into class, greeted their teachers, and got to know their classmates.

St. Mark’s looks to ensure excellence in every component of campus life, including in the Great Hall. Within its new strategic plan, Goals for St. Mark’s IV, the School reiterates its commitment to “provide daily lunches that are healthy, nutritious, and widely appealing.” This summer, with the retirement of Sally Stephens, Director of Food Services for 23 years, the School took the opportunity to take a fresh look at the St. Mark’s dining experience.

On Wednesday, August 16, St. Mark’s faculty and staff returned to campus to officially begin the 2017–2018 school year.

Before embarking on the next chapter in their lives, recent graduates from the Class of 2017 gathered on Tuesday, August 8, 2017, for the annual Graduate Send-Off hosted by Eugene McDermott Headmaster David W. Dini.

Twelve Marksmen recently returned from Washington, D.C., where they participated in the 2017 Pete Sessions Leadership and Growth Program (PSLGP).

In July 2017, the St. Mark’s Choir embarked on a 17-day tour of England, performing in some of the most famous cathedrals in Europe. Choirmaster Tinsley Silcox, Organist and Assistant Choirmaster Glenn Stroh, and five faculty chaperones led 40 choristers. The 16th biennial trip, once again, gave Marksmen the opportunity to revel in different cultures and share their talents with the world.

While the St. Mark’s campus is fairly quiet over the summer months, the journalism suite is always buzzing with activity. Throughout the summer, students have been hard at work on the 2017–2018 editions of the Marksmen yearbook and The ReMarker student newspaper.

This year, St. Mark’s History Department is offering a one-of-a-kind elective course: A History of “Special Ops” since 1945.

It’s not uncommon to find St. Mark’s students in the news, but this summer one Marksman is literally making the news.

On June 30, 2017, the curtain closed on another record year for the St. Mark’s Fund. During the 2016–2017 fiscal year, more than 3,200 alumni, parents, and friends of the School contributed a record-breaking $4.1 million.

Journeying to the other side of the world, 15 Marksmen and five faculty chaperones took their cameras on a photography trip to Bhutan, a small country nestled beneath China.

In April, the Class of 2002 celebrated their 15th Reunion during Alumni Weekend 2017.

While St. Mark’s students have disbanded for the summer break, the learning doesn’t stop at 10600 Preston Road.

Construction is underway on the Winn Science Center as construction crews begin clearing the ground for the new building.

During Alumni Weekend in April 2017, the Class of 1967 celebrated its 50th Reunion. 

As the 2016–2017 school year concluded, St. Mark’s faculty and staff gathered one last time before dispersing for the summer. 

The Class of 1997 celebrated their Reunion in historic fashion. They rallied together to break the 20th Reunion giving record, raising more than $132,000 by Alumni Weekend in April 2017. 

On Friday, May 19, 2017, the Marksmen of the Class of 2017 donned their white dinner jackets and walked across the stage on the Cecil & Ida Green Commencement Theater, crossing the threshold from student to alumnus.

On Friday, May 19, 2017, at Upper School Final Assembly, Warren Foxworth ’66, retiring Head of Middle School, was awarded the Ralph B. Rogers Alumni Award. 

On the afternoon of May 9, 2017, more than 150 Trustees, alumni, faculty, staff, parents, and students gathered together for the groundbreaking of the Winn Science Center and McDermott-Green Science Building. The School community celebrated the past and looked forward to the future of science education at St. Mark’s.

For the first time in its ten year history, the Upper School Academic Team won the Texas State Championship on Saturday, May 6. 

Over the weekend of April 29, 2017, St. Mark’s hosted the Association of Texas Photography Instructors’ Top Program competition.

On Wednesday, April 26, 2017, St. Mark’s held its annual Cum Laude Society induction ceremony.

Alumni Weekend 2017 brought together Marksmen from eight decades as they returned to campus to reconnect with one another, their former teachers, and their alma mater.

Cameron Bossalini ’17 and Chirag Gokani ’17 have been named Eugene McDermott Scholars by the University of Texas at Dallas.

Over the weekend of April 8, the National Scholastic Press Association awarded the 2016 Marksmen yearbook with its prestigious Pacemaker award. 

On Thursday, April 6, more than 140 St. Mark’s students and faculty traveled to the Casady School in Oklahoma City for the 50th annual ISAS Arts Festival.

On March 30, 2017, Marksmen photographers received half of all awards given at the 35th Annual Texas High School Shootout, including Best in Show, awarded to William Hall ’18.

For the students in the Class of 2021, this year’s Community Service event on Saturday, April 1, was an opportunity to both serve and learn.

Andrew Chuka ’17 received second place for sculpture in the 2017 Young American Talent (YAT) competition.

This week, the Lower School is hosting its annual Goodwill Drive on campus.

For the second year in a row, St. Mark’s has been recognized as an Outstanding Organization Partner finalist by the Dallas Independent School District.

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) honored St. Mark’s three major Upper School publications and the Middle School literary magazine with its highest awards.

As they prepare to compete for their fourth straight Texas State Championship, the varsity water polo team spent Spring Break in Bucharest, Romania, the childhood home of St. Mark’s Varsity Water Polo and Swim Coach Mihai Oprea.

On Wednesday, March 8, 2017, the Lower School added the newest member to its Leadership Wall: Malala Yousafzai.

Kevin Feng ’18 and Nicholas Tsao ’20 qualified as semifinalists for the United States National Physics Olympiad.

Four distinguished guests visited campus as part of the fourth annual STEM Conference, sharing their vast experience with students and giving firsthand accounts of the latest developments in science, technology, engineering, and math.

On February 18, 2017, the top eight mathletes from the Upper School Math Team competed in the Harvard-MIT Math Tournament in Boston, Massachusetts.

Ken Hersh ’81 has been selected as the Commencement Speaker for the Class of 2017.

Twenty-one members of the senior class have been named Finalists in the 2016–2017 Competition for National Merit Scholarships. 

On Saturday, February 18, 2017, more than 600 parents, faculty, staff, and guests gathered on campus to Celebrate the Journey during this year’s Celebrate St. Mark’s.

Last Friday, January 10, Eddie Yang ’17 received the Rays of Lights Volunteer of the Year Award.

Rish Basu ’17, managing editor of The ReMarker student newspaper has been named the 2017 Texas High School Journalist of the Year by the Texas Association of Journalism Educators

Brought by the Willard E. Walker, Jr. ’66 Visiting Scholar Program, pianist Dr. Alex McDonald shared his love of music with students in all twelve grades.

On Thursday, February 2, 2017, more than 150 alumni and guests gathered at the Old Parkland Campus in Dallas for the latest installment of the Alumni Leadership Speaker Series featuring Harlan Crow, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Crow Holdings.

Starting yesterday, January 29, 2017, the Lower School began its annual “Screen-Free Awareness Week” that will end Saturday, February 4.

Last week, two New York Times bestselling authors visited campus. One is a prominent young adult writer and recipient of the National Book Award. The other is a Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist whose story inspired the 2013 movie The Butler.

On Thursday, January 19, 2017, the Parents’ Associations of St. Mark’s and Hockaday came together on the Hockaday campus for their annual general membership meeting. 

On Friday, January 6, St. Mark’s welcomed five distinguished writers to campus for the tenth annual Literary Festival.

Two Marksmen have been named finalists in the 2017 YoungArts program in the category of Design Arts: Christian McClain ’17 and Hyer Thomas ’17.