A century ago, Menter B. Terrill founded St. Mark’s predecessor school with the motto Litterae et mores, or “Content and Character.” From the very beginning, St. Mark’s has believed that transforming boys into young men requires more than an academic education — it requires an education in ethics, community, and integrity. In recent years, the School has been working to integrate these intangible ideals of character and leadership education into the St. Mark’s curriculum.

(Originally published in the Winter 2019 issue of The Pride magazine.)

“We have thoughtfully, intentionally, and deliberately enhanced the orientation of our School’s mission toward character development, reinforcing the idea that it’s not so much what you know, but who you are that matters,” said Eugene McDermott Headmaster David W. Dini.

For years, St. Mark’s has worked to refine the theories, vocabulary, and purpose of Character & Leadership Education. Bit by bit, elements have been introduced to the Marksman experience. Now, the 2018–2019 school year marks the most significant expansion of Character & Leadership Education into school life.

A student’s journey through St. Mark’s is often dubbed the Path to Manhood as illustrated in the iconic statue in front of Centennial Hall. This statue, depicting a young boy sitting on the shoulders of a senior, and the journey it represents personifies Character & Leadership Education and helped inspire some of the School’s new efforts.

Before teachers left for summer break in May 2018, they received a copy of St. Mark’s new Path to Manhood handbook. This 56-page document put into words the steps each boy takes and the principles that define Character & Leadership Education. As stated in its preface, “This handbook has been writing itself for over a decade. What began as a specific program has grafted to our mission so now Character and Leadership Education reflects the teaching and learning taking place across all Divisions and beyond our student body.”

The handbook presents Character & Leadership through the concept of Head, Heart, and Hands. These words form the bedrock of a Marksman’s development from the moment he enters the Lower School. Students are taught important lessons and vocabulary (head), develop essential habits of thriving (heart), and practice putting these skills to use to better their communities (hands). The Path to Manhood handbook organizes the specific components of teaching Head, Heart, and Hands and provides outcomes that each student should achieve as he continues through St. Mark’s.

As Head of Lower School Sherri Darver explains, “When Marksmen move on from Lower School into Middle School, we want them to be able to articulate the growth they have made here, not just academically but as little boys into young men.”

While the handbook was just published this year, the principles and ideals expressed in it have long been part of daily life at St. Mark’s. In Upper School, sophomores receive an intentional education through English 10: The Habit of Thriving. Since 2015, faculty have used this class to teach classic literature through the lens of Character & Leadership. From this curriculum, the School recently published a teaching digest for Macbeth. Written by David Brown, Victor F. White Master Teaching Chair in English, this booklet provides vocabulary, discussion questions, and scene-by-scene breakdowns of Shakespeare’s classic play.

“Without sacrificing any of the usual historic, philosophical, thematic, and tragic implications of the play, this commentary fully explores the most important question any young man can ask: ‘What does it mean to be a good man?’” said David Brown.

In the Lower School, Shannon Nadalini is teaching her fourth-grade class with a digest she wrote about Quanah Parker, the famous Comanche Indian chief. These formalized curricular guides will be invaluable in allowing teachers at St. Mark’s to provide a consistent education in Character & Leadership. And, one day, these teaching digests may provide other schools with starting points for launching their own character and leadership education initiatives.

In the Middle School, Character & Leadership Education is coming to life through Leadership Loops. Throughout the year, students in grades 5–8 participate in “Loops,” repeating series of presentations, classroom activities, and group discussions.

As Humanities Department Chair Nick Sberna says, “Leadership Loops have helped move Character & Leadership Education from the conceptual to the literal. This is uncharted territory for everyone, teachers and students alike, and it has demanded that we all adopt a growth mindset as we celebrate the successes and iron out the wrinkles. I love that it’s a community-wide effort.”

At the start of each Loop, Upper School students are invited to give a presentation to Middle School Assembly. In November 2018, seniors Sahit Dendekuri ’19 and Alex Baker ’19 introduced the Leadership Loop topic Reciprocal Care.

St. Mark’s mission is the development of the whole boy, a mission that extends well beyond the academic classroom. The seniors who walk across the Commencement stage are expected to be well-rounded men of character, ready to thrive in an ever-changing world. As Goals for St. Mark’s IV seeks new ways to build on this mission, the creation of the Director of Physical and Experiential Education marks another momentous step into the future.

“Reciprocal Care is giving back to the communities that care for us,” Sahit told the younger boys. “In order for a community to thrive, everyone needs to feel gratitude for all they’ve been given, and to take it upon themselves to care for the people and the places that have cared for them.”

The seniors encouraged the boys to think of their daily interactions. In the cafeteria, for example, do the boys take the time to acknowledge the care they receive from the staff and volunteers? After this presentation, each Middle School student spent his humanities class filling out a Reciprocal Care Organizer. This led to lively classroom discussions as teachers helped students express ways they receive care and could give care back to the communities to which they belong.

Finally, boys discuss the Leadership Loops in their advisories. Here, eighth-graders have an additional opportunity to lead. Eighth-grade students are assigned to a fifth-, sixth-, or seventh-grade advisory, where they help the younger Marksmen talk through their Loops.

Outside of the humanities classroom and advisory, Leadership Loops benefit the broader educational experience at St. Mark’s. The entire Middle School faculty attends assemblies, advisories, and class meetings, where they learn the vocabulary, themes, and concepts being introduced and developed through Leadership Loops. These lessons then become a part of every classroom, athletic practice, art studio, and rehearsal.

“As the faculty grow more comfortable with these concepts and begin using the vernacular, they can address things like a boy’s citizenship or behavioral engagement in a class,” said Dean Clayman, Head of Middle School. “Regardless of subject, we are all teachers of Character & Leadership, and we are striving for ways to include that in the work we do with the boys.”

Across campus, teachers are taking incredible first steps toward turning Character & Leadership theories and concepts into real-world lessons. In turn, students are producing tangible results from this education. From illustrated community webs and Leadership Loops to family research papers and essays over Macbeth, students create numerous pieces of content as they travel on their Path to Manhood. In an effort to catalog, organize, and review the results of Character & Leadership Education, the School is introducing Path to Manhood Portfolios.

“These Portfolios will serve as a way for each Marksman to become more purposeful in his approach to his life,” said Dr. Stegemoeller. “He will set goals for his growth as a leader; reflect on and collect a record of his struggles, failures, and successes; and build a narrative of his path of growth from a boy to an effective man.”

The files, whether they be Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, OneNote pages, or scanned documents, are saved in digital folders for each boy. Marksmen continuously add to their folder, compiling a curated digital portfolio of their discoveries and growth as leaders throughout their time at St. Mark’s.

The past year has served as a preview of the incredible future awaiting St. Mark’s. The success of English 10 will lead to more courses structured around Character & Leadership Education. The Path to Manhood portfolios will continue to expand as more boys begin tracking their growth. This will be accompanied with a planned overhaul of the larger advisory program. And the School recently launched a website to highlight its efforts and to share the results with the wider education community.

As St. Mark’s continues to invest heavily in Character & Leadership Education, the fruits of these labors are evident across campus in the young men stepping up to lead their communities.

“Never before has this work been more important as we seek to guide our students to become ethical, values-driven men, who will make meaningful and important contributions,” said David Dini. “We have an obligation and a responsibility to help every boy develop the capabilities, the mindset, and the conviction to serve and lead with courage, compassion, empathy, and integrity.”

Learn more about St. Mark’s continued efforts in Character & Leadership Education at www.characterandleadership.smtexas.org.