A magazine for the Saint Mark’s Episcopal School community

PRIDESPRING 2014

It is hard to believe that second semester is well underway. During this school year, the 32nd since our founding, we have broken new ground in academic and curriculum development and have electronic communication. Saint Mark’s has adopted the Common Core State Standards of instruction that closely monitor a student’s progress toward mastery of each standard and inform the teacher in the design and delivery of instruction. Complementary to the Common Core Standards is a new grading system based on the mode of scores earned. Full implementation for all grades is anticipated within two years. However, in modern times, education is not complete without the infusion of electronics. The student community has fully embraced our BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) program. Every Middle School student is now using one or more electronic devices in each core class and has continuous, wireless access to the Internet. In addition to these numerous challenges, it has been an exciting time for Saint Mark’s. The faculty and staff spent 2013 working on a self-study for re-accreditation by the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS). Defining the school’s strengths and weaknesses enabled us to set the course for years to come. The accreditation process will culminate with a visit by the CAIS review committee in early March.

Congruent to the intense dedication to excellence, Saint Mark’s students, parents, faculty, and staff have enjoyed each other’s company while attending the Back to School Barbeque, Holiday Boutique, Cosmic Bowling, and the annual gala, Havana Nights. And last, but not least, Saint Mark’s is proud to boast about the success of our graduates. They are diligent thinkers, leaders, and risk-takers. Parents choose a Saint Mark’s education not only for our strong academic program, but for the development of the whole child. At Saint Mark’s and beyond, our students show integrity, imagination, and character.

Alumni have gone on to attend colleges such as West Point, Harvard University, Boston College, Colorado College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dartmouth College, Yale University, University of Southern California, University of California at Los Angeles, Stanford University, Princeton University, Barnard College, and the Claremont Colleges. Our graduates have chosen careers in engineering, medicine, law, education, and the arts. Among our alumni are professors, authors, musicians, business people, and a Navy SEAL.

Cover: Kaitlyn Metz, first grade. Left: Head of School Mark J. Ravelli visits with Andrew Metz and Emrick Dammeier. Below: The Saint Mark’s community gathers for chapel during Advent.

Message from head of schoolMark J. Ravelli PRIDESPRING 2014

How did you come up with the concept for the show?Sarah: I started singing a song, ‘Paddy Wack the great, Paddy Wack the great,’ and Patrick started saying, ‘Oh, we could make a TV show about it, we could call it the Paddy Wack Show,’ and Carson said, ’Yeah, Patrick could be the main person,’ and I (said) I want to be a director, and Carson said, ‘I can be the cameraman and the color man.’Carson: Well, comedian.Sarah: Yeah, and we started putting it together, and Ms. Selk gave us a list of what to do, and I think it worked out perfectly from that moment. Carson: That day was September 7, 2013.

How do you divide up the production responsibilities?Sarah: I’m the director. I get to decide all the questions we ask and I get to pick which person we do. We have lists, but I get them on target.Patrick: I’m the host and also the main editor of our website.Carson: I’m the color man, comedian, and the producer. I’m the guy who supplies all the equipment and sets it up. Joey: I help set up the equipment, and I’m an administrator on the website. Mr. Waddell edits the show. He is the executive producer.

What have you learned from this experience?Patrick: I’ve learned that it is fun to manage a TV show, but it is a lot of responsibility. You need to always go with your gut and do what you think is right on this kind of thing.Carson: Ditto.Sarah: I think I learned a lot more about most of my classmates. I knew a little bit but, I learned a lot more about Tyler Crebs. I didn’t know anything about him, and by doing the Paddy Wack Show, I feel like I learned a lot about him.

A group of fifth-graders at Saint Mark’s recently launched their own talk show. What started as a simple song which Sarah Pino was singing around campus became the title of a larger project that fellow students could participate in, and the Paddy Wack Show was born. To date, the students have produced three shows (one still needs to be edited). The shows are distributed to the fifth grade class through a Shutterfly website. Responding to a request by Mr. Ravelli, the group plans to produce a commercial promoting the show. Parent Kort Waddell, a TV cameraman/director for the past 30 years, assists with the shooting and editing. Mr. Waddell has been training his son, Carson, to set up the cameras and how to shoot. Carson will be training fellow fifth-graders Sarah Pino and Joey Longobardi to set up and shoot as well. Since editing can be quite a challenge, Mr. Waddell will likely continue to edit the shows until the crew has the production under their belt. The students who work on the show were recently asked to share a bit about the experience.

What is the Paddy Wack Show?Patrick Donez: The Paddy Wack Show is a like a talk show/comedy show hybrid. Every week, we try to film an episode in which we give school news, interview a guest from our class, and try to goof around as much as we possibly can. Carson Waddell: But not too much.Joey Longobardi: Still messing around, but at the same time still sounding professional.Sarah Pino: If someone is new here ... people know nothing about them. If we interview them, I think that people will look at them with a different perspective and learn something about them instead of just judging them by what they look like and stuff.Carson: It helps people to get to know their classmates.

Carson Waddell and Patrick Donez interview Ashley Cox

Fifth-graders debut talk show

What have you learned about putting a show together? Sarah: I think we are pretty good at working together. We all agreed with each other; we all combined our ideas into one idea.Sarah: I knew there would be a lot of responsibility and stuff to do.Patrick: I feel like it’s brought us closer to a lot of our classmates.Carson: It brought everyone closer as a class.

Where do want the Paddy Wack Show to go in the future?Carson: YouTube.Patrick: They won’t let us.Sarah: Well probably not YouTube.Joey: Unless we blur the faces.

Have you interviewed anybody famous?Patrick: We have, Eric Dickerson.

What interviews do you have coming up?Sarah: I really want to interview Ms. Selk and Mr. Chris Arbizu because I think they are really new here, and I think our class and everybody needs to get to know them a little more. Carson: We are interviewing Mr. Ravelli very soon.

Is there going to be another episode of the Paddy Wack Show soon?Patrick (in a French accent): But of course!

PRIDESPRING 2014

Sarah Pino prepares for a show.

Middle School takes the stagein Beauty and the Beast, Jr. Our new drama/music teacher, Mrs. Leilani Waddell, made her debut this January with the production of Beauty and the Beast, Jr. Mrs. Waddell was assisted by language arts teacher Diane Church. The beautiful bookworm, Belle, was portrayed by seventh-grader Mackay Morgan-Armstrong, while Belle’s suitor, the Beast, was artfully portrayed by seventh-grader Ryan Metz. Gaston was played by seventh-grader Tyler Baldridge, and his sidekick Lefou, by seventh-grader Colin Senise, while eighth-grader Keila Waddell stole the show as Maurice.

The inhabitants of the magic castle were led by the delightful seventh grade duo of Brooke Fakhoury as the feisty Cogsworth and Anne Lofgren as the spirited Lumiere. Anne and a supporting cast of flatware and furnishings, including feather duster Babette played by sixth-grader Madeline Pineda, and fifth grade teacher Elizabeth Selk as Madame De La Grande Bouche, ended the first act with a rousing version of Be Our Guest.

In the second act, seventh-grader Nicole Huh, as Mrs. Potts, wowed the audience with her performance of Beauty and the Beast. Her darling son, Chip, was played by fifth-grader Hannah Walsh. The cast was rounded out by fifth grade students: Samuel Villarroel, Iris Ortiz, Morgan Johnson, Grace Verrinder, Zena Alkhatib, Jada Kendrick, Kaela Reisch, Diana Roumi, Sophia Vagenas, Anjali Desai, and Kaia Armstrong, and seventh-grader, Kaela Reisch. Alumnus Joey Laybourn ‘13 managed the lighting, and former librarian Susan Mackall was the sound technician.

Saint Mark’s saddles up forannual In-N-Out Night Saddles, hay bales, and pony rides made this year’s western-themed In-N-Out Night a huge success. Our students, adorned in bandanas, cowboy hats, and false mustaches, enjoyed burgers, carnival games, rock climbing, bounce house—and, of course, karaoke.

Not only did our students and their families come out in full force, but many of the members of the Class of 2013 were in attendance for this annual tradition. Thanks to the Parent Organization and In-N-Out Night chair Amy Pino, the event raised $6,370 in support of Saint Mark’s.

Top left: Brooke Fahkoury as Cogsworth. Bottom left: Anne Lofgren, Brooke Fakhoury, and Ms. Selk. Bottom center: Hannah Walsh.

Ms. Guen Vinnedge with eighth-graders Ellie Canty, Genevieve Fermin and Isabel Barbee

Around campusPRIDESPRING 2014

Bottom right: In-N-Out Night was a huge success.

Saint Mark’s visits Washington, D.C.; receives visit from congressman

October’s government shutdown did not stop the seventh and eighth grades from visiting Washington, D.C. After touring Jamestown, Monticello, and Colonial Williamsburg, our students arrived just in time to see the Capitol as it reopened. The whirlwind trip included tours of museums and monuments, but the highlight was the day spent on Capitol Hill. Thanks to Representative Gary Miller (31st Congressional District), the Saint Mark’s group visited the halls of Congress and enjoyed a special lunch in the Republican dining room.

In December, Representative Miller visitedcampus to continue his discussion with the Middle School. In appreciation of the congressman’s hospitality, Saint Mark’s students presented him with a signed photo of the group on the Capitol steps.

Fall sports wrap up season

Flag football Our boys finished as second place champions in the League, with six wins and four losses. Parent coaches John Metz, Jeff Burum, and Korey Chirkanian were joined by NFL Hall of Fame Running Back Eric Dickerson for an afternoon practice.

Girls volleyballAfter more than four years, the Saint Mark’s

seventh and eighth grade team won the league championship. Coach Danny Arbizu credits the team’s “chemistry, perseverance, and commitment to excellence” for their incredible 10-1 record. Coaches Megan Bowles and Skip Arjo have begun working with the sixth grade girls for their league debut next year.

Cross country Once again, Saint Mark’s finished the season ranked first in the Foothill Country Day Cross Country Meet. Our runners placed in the top five in each division, earning five medals and four division titles. Seventh-grader Dani Berch placed first in her division of 48 girls.

NFL Hall of Fame Running Back Eric Dickerson pays a visit to a flag football practice.

How do you want to caption these photos?

Left: Seth Burum and Ryan Metz present Congressman Miller with a group photo from their Washington, D.C, experience.

Community newsPRIDESPRING 2014

Eighth-graders Christopher Currie and Keila Waddell and seventh-graders Spencer Fleurant and Allison Lilley at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Danielle Berch

Having attended Saint Mark’s from kindergarten through eighth grade, Mary and Jean Flannery recalled very different favorite memories from their early school years. Morning chapel services were a special experience for Jean, who shared, “The hymns were a great way to start the day, and it was a good opportunity to mingle with members of other classes.” Mary cited the book fairs and book orders as a favorite memory, along with Mrs. [Serena] Beeks’ burning pink slips, “little slips of paper handed out to people who broke the rules...I was always especially relieved to see my many slips go up in flames!” After leaving Saint Mark’s, both sisters attended Vivian Webb School. After graduating high school, Mary attended Claremont McKenna College, before pursuing studies abroad at the University of Cambridge in England, where she received her master’s and Ph.D. in Medieval English literature. She then worked as a graduate intern at The Getty Center in Los Angeles in their manuscripts department. Mary then returned to teach in England for four years. “I got married to a lovely French/Swiss man last summer and am now teaching at University of Lausanne in Switzerland and living in Geneva,” Mary shared. “I am still working on my French and love to cook!” After graduating from Webb, Jean attended Harvard University and then earned a master’s

degree at the London School of Economics. She then returned to Cambridge, Mass., for law school, before moving back to London to practice corporate law for a few years. “Next, I spent a year in Fairbanks, Alaska, clerking for Judge Andrew Kleinfeld on the Ninth Circuit,” Jean said. “Now I practice at the Los Angeles office of Littler Mendelson, an employment law firm, and love the work and good weather.” Mary and Jean’s mother, Kate, talked about their time in London: “While Mary was teaching at Queen Mary College (part of the University of London), Jean was working at her firm, Skadden Arps, in London. Coincidentally, they each found places to live within a 10-minute walk of each other. It was a wonderful time for both of them...each doing separate things but being able to get together for fun. And it was great for us as parents: We got to spend a couple of Christmases there and enjoy seeing them both together.” “Saint Mark’s taught my daughters the best of the fundamentals: responsibility, kindness, consideration for others, good work, and doing your best,” Kate added. “The lessons they learned there have stayed with them throughout the years. They still talk about Saint Mark’s and what they learned there. As they think about starting their own families, I think Saint Mark’s is ‘the gold standard’ for them.”

Alumni profilesMary Flannery ‘94 and Jean Flannery ‘96

Left: Mary ‘94 (left) and Jean ‘96. Below: Taken just before Mary’s wedding in Geneva last summer.

PRIDESPRING 2014

Alumni profilesAlexandra ‘02 and Adam ‘99 Anderson

Siblings Alexandra and Adam Anderson attended Saint Mark’s for their elementary and middle school years, before later becoming Trojans and pursuing careers in the medical field. Both share their reflections of Saint Mark’s and beyond. After Saint Mark’s, Alexandra attended St. Lucy’s for a year before transferring to Claremont High School. She was accepted to the University of Southern California, where she studied health promotion and disease prevention and also had the opportunity to study abroad at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in science, she worked at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva within the Reproductive Health and Research Division. “Following my stint at the WHO, I moved to Atlanta, where I got my master’s degree in public health from Emory University and worked in the Division of Reproductive Health at the CDC doing epidemiology work,” she shared. Alexandra currently lives in Manhattan, where she works for Montefiore Medical Center doing research, linkage to care, and community health work. Adam also attended Claremont High School after spending third through eighth grade at Saint Mark’s He then went on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biomedical engineering at the University of Southern California. He worked for Baxter BioScience for about three years, before joining Abbott Vascular Structural Heart in Menlo Park as

quality engineer in 2011. “We’re a medical device company that makes a device called the MitraClip that helps patients with a condition called Mitral Regulation, and my job is to ensure that our site makes confirming and compliant devices,” Adam explained. When asked to reflect on their years at Saint Mark’s, Alexandra recalled fond memories of St. Patrick’s Day in kindergarten when the leprechauns stole the students’ backpacks and left a green trail to where they had hidden them...in the school’s garbage cans. “I also have fond memories of the eighth grade breakfast and the Halloween parade...and any time spent with Mrs. Berch and Mrs. Hallock,” she added. Adam had many memorable moments, including constructing California missions in fourth grade with Mrs. Razor, the State Fair in fifth grade with Mrs. Hallock, the egg drop from the second floor of the library, and visiting the nation’s Capitol with Mr. Carrington. But what had perhaps the biggest impact were “the amazing teachers, administrators, and faculty that helped me academically and socially...and the number of friends I made, many of whom I am still friends with,” he said. “Saint Mark’s was truly a family to me—an intellectual and spiritual community that molded me into the confident and academically minded person I am today,” Alexandra reflected. “I am grateful to my parents for enrolling me.”

PRIDESPRING 2014

Mark your calendars

March 8 Kindergarten Readiness Testing, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

March 13 Science Expo Open House, 5:30 p.m.

March 22 Kindergarten Readiness Testing, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

March 28 International Potluck, 5 p.m.

May 2 Festival of the Arts: Art Show, 5:30 p.m.; Performance, 6:30 p.m.

May 30 Class of 2014 Graduation Eucharist, 6:30 p.m.

June 3 Last Day of School

330 East 16th StreetUpland, CA 91784

tel: 909.920.5565 fax: 909.920.5569www.stmarks-upland.org

Upcoming events

Dylan Johnson ‘14 came to Saint Mark’s as a sixth-grader. Now a self-assured, articulate, and charming member of the eighth grade class, he is the first to admit that his transition to a new Middle School was not an easy one; during his first year at Saint Mark’s, Dylan hid his vulnerability under a “tough guy” façade. Now, as he prepares to graduate, he is proud of being a good friend, a good listener, and a problem-solver.

Dylan has worked hard to build relationships with his peers and his family. A transformative moment for Dylan came when he and his mother were facing a challenge: As they discussed their differences, Mrs. Johnson recited the book I Will Love You Forever, which she had had read to Dylan every night at bedtime when he was a baby. It is no longer a problem for Dylan to show his emotions.

In addition to the support of his family, Dylan has been bolstered by the Saint Mark’s community. A debater with lots of “hardware” to his name, he has built confidence and considers debate coach Lee Harris “almost a best friend.” Dylan credits the school’s “nicer environment” for giving him a chance to evolve into the kind of person he admires—men like his father and Mr. Ravelli.

Dylan describes himself as “somewhat boastful” about his grades, admits he could have more patience with his younger sister, and prefers algebra to geometry. Planning to follow in his physician father’s footsteps, Dylan loves chemistry and thinks physics is fun. For now, high school is Dylan’s next step. He will either attend Damien High School or the Webb Schools and will continue to participate in debate.

The Harry Potter books are among Dylan’s favorites. When considering which Potter character he most identifies with, Dylan’s wry smile appeared and he answered, “This may sound weird, but, I would say Draco Malfoy.” J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, wrote that Draco’s true character was not of a bully, he was just afraid. As part of the Saint Mark’s community, Dylan, like Malfoy, has transformed from a bully to a kind-hearted young man.

Student profile: Dylan Johnson ‘14PRIDESPRING 2014