At the Forefront of Boys’ Education

In a vibrant exchange of ideas and global connection, 15 St. Mark’s faculty members traveled to Boston in June to attend the 2025 International Boys’ Schools Coalition (IBSC) Annual Conference. Over four days, they joined more than 650 educators representing 172 schools from 15 different countries around the world to discuss the evolving landscape of boys’ education.
 
Hosted by Belmont Hill School, this year’s conference theme, “Better Together,” underscored the power of community and collective innovation in education. The event featured a dynamic lineup of workshops, presentations, and collaboration opportunities focused on the development and well-being of boys.
 
The St. Mark’s delegation consisted of more than a dozen administrators, faculty, and staff from all three divisions, and included David Dini, John Ashton, Ryan Brewer, Marion Glorioso-Kirby, Lee-Ann Graham, Jason Lange, Linda Liu, Lauren Logan, Tracey McKenzie, Kendall Murphy, Julie Pechersky, Gabby Reed, Eliza Rosenbloom, Paul Mlakar, and Kurt Tholking.
 
An active participant for many years, Eugene McDermott Headmaster David Dini serves as Chair of the IBSC Board of Trustees, a group that includes school leaders from five different continents.  In Boston, he helped open the Conference and led a pair of Board Meetings bookending the week.
 
The Conference offered opportunities for educators to share best practices with colleagues and included a workshop led by members of the Marksmen Wellness Center: Dr. Gabby Reed, Julie Pechersky, and Eliza Rosenbloom. Titled “The Marksman Model: An Integrative and Collaborative Approach to Student Well-Being,” the session spotlighted St. Mark’s commitment to overall wellness and offered valuable strategies to support student mental health — a topic that resonates across schools and cultures.
 
Two St. Mark’s teachers, Ryan Brewer and Lauren Logan, also took part in the inaugural IBSC Aspiring Leaders Colloquia, a small, international cohort of educators seeking to strengthen and expand their own personal and professional growth. The 10-month program will include a variety of projects and teaching modules led by different heads of boys’ schools from around the world.  “There is still so much to learn about myself and how I want to conduct myself as a future leader,” said Brewer. “Conferences like this help remind me why I started in education and why this is the journey I will continue to take.”
 
During the conference, Chinese teacher Linda Liu attended IBSC’s Action Research Team Orientation, continuing St. Mark’s participation in this collaborative program. Liu will spend the next year conducting research alongside colleagues from member schools globally. “The subject of our project is ‘Facilitating Boys’ Executive Function and Self-Regulation in the classroom,’” said Liu. “I’ll be gathering data from my own classroom and reflecting on the process throughout the year, with the goal of contributing meaningfully to the IBSC’s ongoing research archive while also positively impacting the learning and development of students at our School.”
 
“It’s always affirming and inspiring to gather with like-minded educators,” said Jason Lange, Assistant Head of Middle School. “Everyone at IBSC is interested in celebrating and serving boys; boys who are grappling with the same issues around the world. I particularly liked this year’s theme: Better Together. We can do a lot on our own, but it’s always nice to have someone else to share ideas with – someone who gets boys as St. Mark’s does – so we can get even better.”
 
As a founding member of the IBSC, St. Mark’s has long played an important leadership role in the global boys’ school community, including hosting the Annual Conference in both 2004 and 2022. The Conference will next move across two continents to St. Stithians Boys' College in Sandton, South Africa in 2026, and then to The Scots College in Sydney, Australia in 2027 before returning to North America in 2028 for a gathering in Toronto.
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    • Members of the Marksmen Wellness Center team present at the Conference.

    • Dini addresses the Conference.

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.