Anouk Shin ‘26
News that Mr. Warren, Head of School, and Dr. Warren, head of the Global Office are departing has kept our hearts heavy for much of the school year. To honor the Warrens as they depart, the St. Marker team decided to steer from the usual “farewell interview” and publish a “My Five” feature (inspired by the New York Times “My Ten”), in which Mr. and Dr. Warren name five objects that encapsulate the impact St. Mark’s School has had on their lives and careers.
Without further ado—Mr. and Dr. Warren’s “My Five”!
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Mr. Warren
1. Scale Model of the Lion in the Library Quad
“This [scale model] is very meaningful to me because it was given to me by a member of the family who commissioned the lion [in the library quad]. I love it. I know that every year at Prize Day, many, many families have their pictures taken by the lion—and then we get Christmas cards of these pictures every year, of kids who have graduated the year before. And there they are. In front of the lion.”
2. Ceremonial Key (theoretically the key to St. Mark’s)
“[The key] is meaningful to me because it was given to me when I was installed as head of school [...] and because Dr. Hills will receive it when he gets installed.”
3. A Bottle of Vanilla Extract
“Joseph Burnett, who founded St. Mark’s, invented vanilla extract. He made a lot of money through this invention, and he used that money to found St. Mark’s school. So it’s meaningful to me: A, because I admire Joseph Burnett as a very entrepreneurial, forward-looking person, and B, because many St. Markers think Joseph Burnett is cool!”
4. A St. Mark’s Pysanky Egg
“This egg was given to me by Mr. Dolesh. When Mr. Dolesh was on sabbatical, he spent time learning how to paint eggs in a Ukrainian methodology and tradition called Pysanky. When he was a kid he saw his grandfather paint these eggs. So when he was on sabbatical he learned that skill, and he gave the egg to me. The reason this egg is important to me is because it’s an example of the professional development and growth our faculty do. Sometimes it's on sabbatical, sometimes it's a degree program, and sometimes it's traveling. But [the egg] is just an example of how our teachers are constantly growing at St. Mark’s. And that makes me so happy to hear experiences of faculty growth.”
5. Framed Photograph of Mr. Warren and Mr. Maqubela (Head of Groton)
“This photo is meaningful to me because it symbolizes the rivalry between St. Mark’s and Groton—and even though we say “let’s eat zebra meat” (which is a little bit violent)—the bottom line is that St. Mark’s and Groton have a very respectful rivalry that’s a lot of fun and goes back a hundred years. Mr. Maqubela and I have become very close friends with a high regard for each other during our times as head, and when that picture was taken, I sent a copy of it to Mr. Maqubela, and he has it in his office too. Again, this relationship and the rivalry [between St. Mark’s and Groton] is important to me and the school.”
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Dr. Warren
1. A Little Owl Carved in Stone
“This owl was given to me by Jasmine Williams who graduated in…I think either 2013 or 2014. Jasmine went to Greece, and she was one of the first students that went to Greece after I took over as Global Director. We finally had the finances to grant Global Citizenship grants and [the owl] was her “thank you” to me. It was a very meaningful gift not only because I love owls, but also because that was the beginning of the Global Program taking off.”
2. Mother of Pearl In-Laid Box
“This box was given to us by Korean families [...] and it’s meaningful because it was given to us with so much fondness by the families we had worked with in the South Korea Parents Association. We’ve also had so many wonderful students from South Korea—another reason why it’s meaningful.”
3. Cloth with Writing in Swahili
“[This cloth] was given to me by Edna Kilusu who graduated five years ago, who was a young woman who came to us from Tanzania. She was amazing, and I love that connection we have with Africa and Tanzania.”
4. Two Vases
“[These vases were] given to the Global Office by Taylor Zhou, who graduated last year. Taylor was in my III Form TGS class that year we left for spring break…and didn’t ever come back. That was hard [for Taylor] because she didn’t get to go home. So she and I had a very fun back and forth every day on email to keep our spirits up. I see those vases and I’m reminded of Taylor and all of our other students from China.”
5. A Set of Four Plates Depicting Scenes on St. Mark’s Campus
“I love [these plates] because they embody the history of the school—and how much the school has stayed the same, even though it’s changed a lot. These plates will go with us, reminding me of the long history of this school.”