Student Life
Student Life at Saint Mark’s is a rich experience, underscoring the school’s commitment to integrating disciplines while creating community. Students are encouraged to work and play collaboratively, enabling them to build healthy relationships and interact in positive and productive ways. The campus, with its friendly, open layout and central Quad, provides a generous place for the school to come together. Saint Mark’s is always bustling with creative energy.
Classes within and across grades team up for bi-weekly assemblies, special projects, buddy activities, Outdoor Education trips, community service projects and spirit days. Students experience the diverse and vibrant culture of the San Francisco Bay Area together on field trips. They learn to appreciate and respect each other’s unique gifts at monthly talent and joke assemblies. They gather for Friday lunches to watch classic sci-fi movies at Just Imagine Club. They extend their school day together in the Afterschool Club and popular Afterschool Adventures offerings, such as LEGO Robotics, Flash Animation, Clay, Sewing or Puppet Making.
Community is also nurtured through cross-grade events such as bi-annual Drama productions, with guaranteed roles for every student who auditions. Students sing and perform together in three choirs and two bands. They compete together in chess tournaments, science fairs on the playing fields and on basketball courts. They work together to produce the school yearbook.
Saint Mark’s Seven Pillars of Character – Honesty, Caring, Fairness, Responsibility, Courage, Respect and Citizenship -– establishes a code of student conduct, communicates the school’s expectations and reinforces students’ own sense of ethical standards.
Cultural celebrations (Passport to the World, Chinese New Year, Diwali and Ramadan) and speaker series demonstrating shared beliefs and values (Faith and Values) are also effective community builders. The Upper Division’s Mentors Program brings together small groups of students with an adult mentor twice a week for engaging discussions and fun games.
Student Life at Saint Mark’s is vital, joyous, broad and deep.
