Changes in the Religion Department

Rachel Ding ‘26

With Rev. Solter stepping in as the Head Chaplain this year, I had the opportunity to interview her about changes the chaplains, Interfaith Chapel Committees (ICC), and religion department have made or plan to make. My questions centered around how she would balance new practices while upholding core Episcopal values and preserving traditions essential to the St. Mark’s experience.

This fall, Rev. Solter will be supported by three Assistant Chaplains—Mrs. Ames, Ms. Estes, and Ms. Long—rather than having one Associate Chaplain. While Ms. Long will serve as the permanent chaplain for the year, due to her commitments with volleyball, all three have stepped in this fall. This is especially empowering as this new all-women team coincides with the Episcopal Church’s celebration of 50 years of women’s ordination. Initially, Rev. Solter was set to work with Mr. Fontes, Mr. Hall, the organist, and Rev. Hutchinson, but when plans changed, she said, “Let’s see where the Holy Spirit leads us,” and everything came together beautifully.

While our chapel has a rich history, the Episcopal values it upholds remain progressive. Our presiding bishop has been a strong advocate for the "Way of Love," which reflects our inclusive ethos and the belief that we are all equal in the eyes of God. Rev. These progressive values continue to grow within the Episcopal Church, with the ordination of women 50 years ago and the ordination of LGBTQ clergy (though it nearly caused the church to split). Despite these challenges, the church has grown stronger, becoming the first to ordain an openly gay bishop. Rev. Solter recalled the film Love Free or Die, which tells the story of Bishop Gene Robinson and his journey toward acceptance within the church and society. He became a global icon of progressive ideals and ordained both Rev. Talcott (former Head Chaplain of St. Mark’s) and Rev. Solter in the early 2000s.

Another change is in the structure of the prayers. On Fridays, the chaplains gather prayer requests for births, marriages, and deaths within the community. While obituaries are sometimes a sensitive topic, and some feel they do not resonate with our school, Rev. Solter believes they honor long-standing traditions and offer connections with those who came before us. Tuesdays, on the other hand, are dedicated to intercessory prayers. Throughout September and October, the chaplains have included Prayers of the People in Spanish in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month. They strive to expose our community to various ways of praying and enrich our understanding of prayer across cultures. During every chapel service, there is also time for silent, personal prayer, allowing everyone to practice in their own way.

Rev. Solter has set an intention to be more deliberate in sharing wisdom during chapel. For example, the opening reflections have been lengthened, and after chapel talks, Dr. Hills offers his insights and expands on the themes presented. While Rev. Solter loves hearing quotes from best friends, she aims to tap into more wisdom from the greater world. In this spirit, she has introduced the idea of having an overarching theme for all chapel talks this year, selected by the ICC. This is new to St. Mark’s but was something Rev. Solter implemented at her previous school. She believes a theme will create a more cohesive message instead of a series of scattered, though well-meaning, ideas. The theme for this year is "Together in love" in anticipation of the need for unity during a divisive election year and with a new Head of School. 

There have also been some changes in the religion department this year. With Rev. Hutchinson's departure, the department was restructured, and Dr. Erickson has now taken over as the head. Some exciting new offerings this year are Dr. Worrell’s courses: Genocide and Justice in Local & Global Contexts in the fall, and Nazi Germany and the Holocaust in the spring. These classes are required for students signed up for the Lion’s Roam trip to Germany, but are also open to students who are not going. These courses have gained popularity due to student interest in understanding what leads to genocide and how we can work to prevent it. The curriculum examines how individuals have manipulated religion to justify atrocities and the roles that politics, hate, and disinformation play in creating genocide.

A Glimpse into St. Mark's Poetry Week

Eliza Visconsi ‘25

On Monday, April 22nd, the St. Mark’s community entered a week of poetry celebration. With various events, like “haiku for ice cream,” poetry contests, and daily poems shared with all St. Markers, this week was full of opportunities to embrace individual and collaborative creativity. Ms. McCann and her Poetry Workshop class took the lead this week, making school announcements and encouraging their peers to get involved. Whether they loved poetry or not, many members of the St. Mark’s community engaged in the activities that Poetry Week had to offer. 

St. Mark’s held a week-long poetry contest, including various categories for poets. The following Wednesday, May 1st, Ms. McCann recognized the winners for each type of poetry submission during the school meeting. The categories and respective winners are as follows. The award for most successful poem of three lines or fewer went to Izzy Mundel, with a poem titled “M P D.” The most meaningful poem and art collaboration went to Jihu Choi and Eliza Visconsi, with “Waiting for Sea Glass.” 

An Excerpt from “Waiting for Sea Glass” by Eliza Visconsi and Jihu Choi  

Let the water come to you.

Watch it breaking in

To a house already broken in. 

At long last

The waves wash up the 

Refurbished, recycled rectangle glass 

Under a night sky, infinite. 

It is cautiously cradled

In the hands of a stranger,

Lonely but alright. 

Add it to the collection. 

Jihu Choi acquired another title with her poem “Omw,” winning the most successful individual poem prize. Ms. Bates’ Short Story class won  the title of best “exquisite corpse” poem with their poem “It's Past 9:30.” Ms. McCann’s advisory (The McCannics, including Gina Yang, Divi Bhaireddy, Teni Ogunjumo, and Emily Ling) won the award for the best advisory poem with “Love Letters.” Ms. Caron’s poem, “Umbilicus,” won the most successful faculty poem award, and Wendy Wu’s “I Saw Life Expand” for best poetry written at the “haiku for ice cream” event. 

“Umbilicus” by Ms. Caron

Round and folded

like an ear.

And I press my lobe

to your belly 

to listen, perhaps

to hear, what secrets

your intestinal

gurgles might hold. 

I trace your navel

with my fingertip,

imagine love flowing

from me to you 

like the blood swirled

between us those months

we were connected. 

The stump, dried 

and disconnected,

sits in a clear baggie.

Reminds me of distances

you will grow from me. 

Haiku by Wendy Wu

“I saw life expand / fireworks in miniature / muted green fungi”

To conclude the week, on Friday, April 26th, during the afternoon community block, Ms. McCann’s poetry class hosted a “haiku for ice cream” event in the Lion’s Den. In exchange for an originally written haiku, students were rewarded with ice cream sundaes. Students packed the Lion’s Den, many motivated by the ice cream and some excited to share a piece of their original poetry. Either way, students were enthusiastic about their chance to write a haiku. The turnout of this event shows the level of involvement that students have in taking advantage of opportunities and how willing they are to show up for their community! Maddy Bean of the sixth form recounts her experience with this year’s poetry week, saying, “During poetry week, I had a lot of fun and got a lot of really great memories from it!” Overall, poetry week allowed students, faculty, and staff to express their creativity, learn, and appreciate the art of poetry. 

Congratulations to the winners of these awards for their artistry and originality and for sharing their talent with the St. Mark’s community.