In the early morning before class, Upper School Marksmen gathered in the amphitheater for breakfast tacos and brotherly advice. This Freshman/Senior breakfast was the inaugural event of a larger program allowing the youngest Upper Schoolers to spend time with their 12th-grade “big brothers” and get some real-world advice about life in the Upper School.
The breakfast was part of a larger Freshman/Senior Buddy program organized by Alden James ’16, Drew Baxley ’16, and Andrew Lin ’17, the Co-Chairs of the Leadership & Ethics Council. The idea came during the Class of 2016’s Senior Retreat, as students explored new ways to give back to the St. Mark’s community.
“Most everyone we have talked to can cite a time when they, as a freshman or sophomore, received guidance from an older Marksman,” Alden James ’16 said. “The idea was to give freshmen this resource so they could learn the system at St. Mark’s.”
Seniors like Alden hope this program will offer guidance to freshmen as they begin to navigate the Upper School, giving advice on time management, study tips, and the best clubs to join. The Leadership & Ethics Council would like to make the Freshman/Senior Buddy program a sustainable tradition. Plans are already underway for two events each trimester, plus more informal interactions like sitting together at lunch and attending Community Service events together.
“I know I could have done so much more as a freshman, so we hope to kickstart the careers of these younger Marksmen,” Alden said.
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.