"What do we eat?" : Problems at the Panini Station

by Katie Park ‘21

When I am dismissed from class around 12:20, I rush down the stairs to get in line for lunch. However, on days when I do not have much luck, I get there a little late and the line starting from the Main Dining Hall has already passed the Small Dining Hall. In this case, I swiftly run to the Small Dining Hall and grab a panini. Since I am more of a person who would rather have a panini than wait in line, I grabbed paninis for about one-third of my lunches last year. Also, I liked having a panini for lunch because there were various fillings that I could put on it.

This year, however, I am having a slightly different experience with the panini bar.

The Small Dining Hall went through renovations over the summer that changed the arrangement. The panini press is no longer on the side that leads to the Hinkle Room. Last year, it was harder for people to sit on the table right in front of the panini press due to the line that stretched to the table. In order to fix this problem, FLIK decided to place the panini press right next to the panini bar, which gives more space for the people in line and for people to sit at the table right in front of Hinkle Room. However, there are downsides to the new position of the panini bar. There are not as many meat and cheese options as last year. One day during lunch, there was only lettuce, tomatoes, egg salad, and only two types of cold cuts (ham and cheese). I could still make a panini out of these options, but it was definitely more limited than last year, when there was ham, turkey, and chicken for the meat options and at least two different types of cheese.

The Main Dining Hall also went through some changes. There used to be two salad bars, but Flik got rid of the second one and replaced it with a smaller toppings bar. This definitely provided more room in the Main Dining Hall. However, since the dressings are only in the first salad bar, as opposed to last year when there were dressings on both, some people had to go back to the first salad bar after getting the toppings from the next bar. Furthermore, a new suggestion is that since there is more room than last year, it would be better if the first salad bar and the toppings bar are pushed more toward the Small Dining Hall since the line waiting for the salad bar and the line to bus plates often clash.

We appreciate all the effort Flik puts into changing the setup of the dining hall. However, it always takes trial and error to reach excellence, and this process is no different.

Traditional to Technical: More Classes incorporate Online Learning

by Luke Lee ‘20

Recently, I have noticed an interesting trend among courses at St. Mark’s: teachers are offering more paper materials and course content online. Sure, there are times where I solve questions on paper, but those occasions are very few. In the past, I would only use my computer while writing my English or History paper. For subjects like math, science, and language, I had to do almost all of my work on paper. But now, I need my computer for all of my classes. Instead of giving out worksheets or problems on the textbook, my math teacher posts a link on Canvas that directs me to the homework. For chemistry, students conduct labs online instead of actual labs using the Atomsmith Classroom, a computer simulation program. And instead of writing down our responses on the lab sheet, we submit our responses on a website called GoFormative. Sometimes, I question if carrying a backpack to school is necessary; it seems these days all I need is my computer.

There are definitely advantages to having more materials online. For one, students don’t have to carry giant textbooks to school everyday. Online materials are not only beneficial to the students, but also to Mother Earth. By working online, both students and faculty use paper much less. This reflects St. Mark’s sustainability statement, which ensures that the school “actively fosters environmental stewardship.” Why bother printing worksheets and handing it to students? Teachers can tell their students to check on Canvas.

Online tools are usually easy to use, but that is not always the case. Often, these programs don’t work. Take, for example, my Advanced Statistics and Chemistry class. During our statistics class, Mr. Lester asked us to install R Studio, an open source data analysis software. It took almost the entire 45 minute block for us to install the software because some of us weren’t able to download it. Yet, the features of the software are also available on our calculator, and the software has only been used for two classes. During our chemistry class, we had to download the Atomsmith Classroom for computer simulations of gas molecules. However, two students weren’t able to install the program on their own, so they wasted a lot of class time trying to make it work. The next day, Dr. Smith-Nichols instructed us to record our responses on GoFormative. But unfortunately, most students weren’t able to do their work in class because the website was down. Few students had their pages open from last night, so they were able to submit the response.

A few weeks into the beginning of the year, I was curious if students’ opinion of online resources have changed so I sent out a survey to my statistics class to see what their thoughts were on the online tools. According to the survey, 80% of the class were fine with the online materials, while 20% of them preferred offline materials. And when my classmates were asked how comfortable they were with R Studio and online homework on a scale of 1 to 5, most students gave 3’s or 4’s, which shows that they are pretty comfortable with the online materials. Although online resources are generally accepted by students, there are still rooms for improvements.

Transition Time: Reflections on Being a New St. Marker

by Cathy Zhou ‘21

It is never easy to transition into a new environment. St. Mark’s is a place as welcoming and supporting as it could be, there are definitely surprises as well as discomforts for new students. For third formers, high school could be a novel but stressful experience and as for new students coming as upperformers, a new school could be hard to fit in.

Gift Wichayamas, new IV Former

Q: How do you feel as a new senior?

A: Everything is new and a rush. I feel like I am a freshman most of the time except

when they call sixth former and faculty to leave first. There are so many things to learn: the American culture, the college application process, names to remember, and of course, my English is to be improved. The fact that everyone already knows each other for at least two years make me feel awkward joining a conversation sometimes.

Q: What's your favorite thing about St. Mark's?

A: I have two favorite things here so far. My first one is the schedule here. In Thailand,

I had eight blocks every weekday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m, so having 6 classes and a free block at St. Mark’s is way better. However, the homework load here still hits me hard. Also, I love how supportive people are here at St. Mark’s. When people say “hi” or smile back at me, it lights up my day.

Q: What are you looking forward to in the school year?

A: I am looking forward to meeting new people, trying to speak up more, and getting into college. I also want to go watch games and join more activities. Generally, I want to do anything

that would make my first and last year here memorable!

Skylar Davis, new V Former

Q: How do you feel as a new junior?

A: Being a new fifth former is honestly a lot easier than I thought it would be. I was kind of worried, since two years of high school have already passed and there are only two year left, but everyone is really nice and inviting!

Q: What's your favorite thing about St. Mark's?

A: I really love the general environment, but especially the community. It is a very tight-knit community and I like the communal aspect rather than a more traditional school setting.

Q: What's your favorite dining hall food so far?

A: I love the sprinkle cookies! They're not sugary to the point of overpowering, but the sprinkles add the best touch.

Q: What are you looking forward to in the school year?

A: I'm really excited for neon, especially since people kept talking about it (haha), and Groton night!

Q: How do you feel about the orientation?

A: Orientation was absolutely exhausting, but it was also really great for a lot of reasons. I got lost so often during orientation that I've barely gotten lost during the school year! (I wish I was joking...) I also got to meet a lot of really cool people during orientation, outside of the stress of the classroom.

Lina Zhang, new IV Former

Several days ago, an old friend asked me how life was at my new school. Looking at her question, I had to pause and think for a bit. As a new sophomore, one of the first things that hit me as I walked in was the sheer size of the school. Driving up to the front circle, the expanse of the football and soccer fields had me wide-eyed and nervous. Walking through the buildings by the side of a student leader, I remember thinking that I would never find my way anywhere. Standing in line with my parents, I saw my peers for the first time. Some were calm, smiling easily as they received their orientation packets, striking up conversation with the person next to them; others glanced around with wary eyes, as scared as I was at the time. But with these two weeks, the initial fear and awe I held for St. Mark’s has transformed into something of fond annoyance. True, speed-walking from the dining hall to third floor STEM in five minutes is challenging, I still stop and ask for directions to the PFAC (until realising it was an entire building), and the location of the dorms in the Main Building remains a mystery.

I told her, life’s good, still hanging on; the people here are crazy—crazy nice, yes, but also plain crazy. From the blindfolding activity outside Ms. McBride’s window, to the random outbursts of songs in my Spanish class, life in general is always hectic and filled with surprise. Not usually a social person, I am continuously astonished by the amount of friends that I have made here, and how different they can be, while still being kind and truthful. I do not boast to know every single quirk of St. Mark’s, or to even have any idea of what midterm and final weeks must be like, but the campus is no longer overbearing or spacious. I look to the coming year with excitement.

Arden Williams, new III Former

Q: How do you feel about the orientation?

A: Orientation was very long.

Q: What's your favorite thing about St. Mark's?

A: Being a boarding student!

Michael Fisher, new III Former

Q: What's your favorite dining hall food so far?

A: The sandwiches.

Q: How do you feel as a new student?

A: I feel anxious as a new student.