Modeling the ideal Marksman

The following is adapted from an article published in the spring 2023 issue of The Pride magazine.


Since 1994, the graduation requirement has seniors create and implement a ten-minute presentation to younger students about a subject of personal significance: the importance of athletics, building your own computer, playing the bagpipes, etc. The senior exhibition program was the brainchild of former headmaster Arnie Holtberg. He came to St. Mark’s in 1993, with the idea to provide seniors a way to express themselves and further strengthen our community.

By presenting to Middle and Lower School students, seniors would model the ‘ideal Marksman.’ Seeing older boys speak thoughtfully and passionately challenges younger boys’ preconceptions about what the ideal is, beyond star athletes or valedictorians, to broader definitions. Boys could see themselves in others, building confidence in who they naturally are and nurturing respect across campus.

“Let’s find out who everybody is, and then we become the ideal Marksmen, plural,” Holtberg said. 

The senior ex program starts at the beginning of the school year. Seniors fill out a form to help better define their topic and audience and to find a faculty sponsor who will help guide them throughout the process. Dates are selected, and the creation of their exhibition begins.

“About a month from their actual presentation date we have them pick and rank their top three or four choices,” said Jason Leneau, Assistant Head of Upper School, who helps manage the program. “They can organize their thoughts and materials, sit with their advisor and run through their presentation. They prepare for their audience to better understand what potential questions they may field or anything else that may arise, like audio-visual needs, so they can be as best prepared as possible.”

Individual presentations are preferred, but sometimes it makes more sense for Marksmen to team up.

“Some boys have the same passion in the sport or the same passion for an activity, whether it’s chess or golf or many different topics,” Leneau said. “There are parameters that we expect the boys to contribute to. It’s not just one person putting on the show, it’s a collective or partnership that they all own.”

Knowing students will need presentation skills in their lives and careers beyond 10600 Preston Rd. is an important driver for the program. Seniors are graded on a pass-or-fail basis. The rubric assesses their appearance, organization, delivery and how they field questions.

Retired teacher Joe Milliet served as a senior ex advisor for many years. He was always impressed with boys who chose unique subject matter and took the time to craft engaging presentations.

“Alex Brooks ’05 delivered a senior exhibition on legal card counting. It was fascinating and no one had ever seen anything like it,” Milliet recalled. “Audiences are quiet by nature, but students were silent during this one because they were mesmerized. Great senior exhibitions are followed by every guy in the room raising their hand at the end and willing to be late to lunch until they get their question answered. Alex held the floor with a devilish grin and an enticing sense of purpose, knowing he had won the day.”

For Arjun Badi ’23, his Senior Ex topic was an easy choice.

“I’ve been playing the bagpipes since around sixth grade,” Badi said. “It’s just been a very integral part of who I am. When I applied to St. Mark’s as an eighth grader, most of my interview was about bagpipes.”

Badi found the ten minutes harder to fill with content than initially expected and difficult to adjust to a younger audience.

“It’s a good exercise to rack your brain and focus on the things that are important to you and sit down to discern what people would want to hear about,” Badi said. “I was in front of an audience that wasn’t just my peers. It was younger kids, which made me work a little more to figure out how to connect with them.”

Sometimes the process of developing the presentation informs the presenter as well. Henry Schechter ’22 delivered his presentation on being a ‘generalist,’ focusing life’s pursuits on varied subjects rather than just one interest or talent.

“Life is more interesting if you’re not focused in one area, and you can see the full picture of things,” Schechter said. “I think the senior ex helped me realize that I do live my life that way. It was a good exercise to think through everything I’ve done and find a common thread.”

Since its inception, the senior exhibition program has prepared boys with practical life skills. It sets a stage to understand the individual within our community better, allowing the presenter and his audience to be transformed. Younger Marksmen get to see and possibly idolize seniors for who they truly are, kilts and all.


Read the full article and others in the latest issue of The Pride magazine.