120th School Year Begins

This morning, 924 Marksmen arrived on campus to begin the 2025–2026 school year. Across campus, boys reconnected with classmates and shared summer stories, and teachers prepared their students for the year ahead. 
  
The school year kicked off with the entire campus community gathered in the Great Hall for the traditional All-School Opening Convocation. 
 
After a hymn from the Upper School band, Board of Trustees President Fraser Marcus ’72 welcomed the new students in attendance and reflected on the rich legacy that now unites them all.  

 

“St. Mark’s is amazing,” Marcus said. “It’s so much more than the experience in the classroom, the labs, the theaters, and the playing fields. Every Marksman who has come before you has left a legacy for you to follow. That’s what binds one generation of Marksmen to another. What do you want your legacy to be?” 
 

Student Council President Adam Dalrymple ’26 challenged students to never overlook the small tasks in their daily lives. Whether it’s journal entries in history class or hustling across the field during practice, Dalrymple pointed to these seemingly inconsequential moments as part of the larger St. Mark’s education. 

 

“St. Mark’s is not just preparing us for the next step in our academic careers through the skills and knowledge that we’re taught,” Dalrymple said. “It’s also instilling a sense of discipline and a set of core values that we will carry throughout the rest of our lives.” 

  
Eugene McDermott Headmaster David W. Dini welcomed students back to campus, encouraging them to start the year strong.  

“It is a season of new beginnings as we start the year filled with potential,” Dini said. “It’s also a time of opportunity to leave behind a legacy – an impact based on the decisions you make each and every day, always striving for meaning, substance, and positive impact.”  
  
Mark Sullivan, Director of Experiential Learning, offered his reflections as he enters his 44th year at St. Mark’s, describing the School’s special nature that keeps boys and faculty engaged year after year.   

Speaking directly to the senior class, Sullivan told the boys, “This is your year. We will all be defined by the direction you set, and your legacy as a class is yours to define. Lead us with the wisdom you’ve all gained along the way, and know we have the faith that you will lead with enthusiasm, compassion, and integrity.”