Next month, as the Class of 2018 gathers to celebrate their achievements, their Commencement will mark not one but many fresh beginnings. They will soon apply the skills they have honed at St. Mark’s to new experiences. And, as freshly minted alumni, they will start to connect with St. Mark’s in different ways, as so many Marksmen have done before them.
As an institution, St. Mark’s draws on the strength and commitment of its community. For generations, alumni have demonstrated their leadership and support for the School and its mission in countless ways. They return to campus each year for Alumni Weekend to catch up with classmates and mentors and reflect on their defining years at St. Mark’s. They also give back through their commitments of time—speaking about their careers to students on campus, advising recent graduates, serving on the Board of Trustees and Alumni Board, hosting Reunions, and volunteering as St. Mark’s Fund Class Agents. And, the School ensures that the more than 5,400 alumni worldwide stay connected through regional gatherings and special events.
Alumni also generously support St. Mark’s financially. Alumni participation in the St. Mark’s Fund is four times the annual fund national average; last year over half of all Marksmen contributed $2.3 million to the St. Mark’s Fund total of more than $4 million. Not surprising, alumni have been tremendous supporters of the Science Center Project, which will give the faculty even more ways to enhance an already exceptional science curriculum.
“I am very happy to give back to the School that gave me so much,” said Craig Levering ’75. Like many alumni, he credits his alma mater with helping to shape the person he became. “St. Mark’s taught me to manage my time efficiently between school work, sports, and outside activities while always striving for excellence,” he said. “Those learned organizational skills and habits have served me well through college, my professional career, and even today.”
It’s a testament to the strength of the School, its mission, its faculty, and its culture that a fellow alumnus who graduated more than two decades later, Dan Hunt ’96, shares similar sentiment and appreciation.