The holiday season at St. Mark’s culminated with one of the School’s most beloved traditions. With the entire student body gathered in the W. W. Browning, Jr., Great Hall, the Senior Class members entered to the cheers of their classmates, teachers and families. On each boy’s shoulders, their Lower School buddies held an ornament to be placed on the Christmas tree, carrying on the tradition that has since been immortalized in St. Mark’s Path to Manhood statue.
After each buddy placed his ornament on the tree, Student Council President Salmaan Hussain ’23 thanked the community for helping make this year's Gift Drive a success. "As a community, we've given tokens of gratitude, whether that's hanging out with our senior buddies in the commons, or giving gifts to children around Dallas and donating to the salvation army, we've made kids feel excited, and we've made them feel special. That itself is a gift."
Hussain also announced the successful completion of the Student Council and Community Service Board Gift Drive, which collected more than 2,100 gifts for local non-profits.
Paul McFarland, DFW Metroplex commander, accepted the gifts on behalf of the Salvation Army and thanked the St. Mark’s community for their generosity. “Across Dallas, more than 40,000 children will be receiving Christmas gifts because of the Salvation Army and friends such as yourself."
Before dismissing school for the Christmas break, Eugene McDermott Headmaster David Dini left the boys with a few thoughts: “To every young man in this room, thank you for all that you do to make this a great place to learn, to grow and to be our individual and collective best, each and every day. Thank you for supporting and caring for others, for demonstrating what it means to be a Marksman, and for doing everything possible to make a positive difference everywhere you go."
Watch the Holiday Traditions video below and more photos and videos from this holiday season can be found here.
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.