Lion Term
Lion Term has become a defining experience for every St. Mark’s graduate.
For the 2025-2026 academic year, the program will take place the week before March Break, with each Form exploring a unique theme (outlined below). Students will work in small groups to engage in shared, hands-on experiences on or near campus, designed to spark curiosity, deepen learning, and foster a practitioner mindset. These opportunities not only enrich their time at St. Mark’s but also prepare them for life beyond SM.. If you have specific questions concerning Lion Term please reach out to Mike Marinella ‘08, Coordinator of Lion Term and Saturday Programs.
Monday, March 9–Friday, March 13, 2026
9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Afternoon activities (athletics and co-curriculars) will run as normal starting at 3:45 p.m. Locations will vary based on programming. Details will be provided as the dates approach.
III Form: Service Learning
The III Form Lion Term experience will be driven by one of the core tenets of a St. Mark’s education, Service Learning. The entire Form and a team of St. Mark’s faculty members will engage with local partners in order to give back to the surrounding community. The emphasis will be on learning what these organizations do for others, how they do it, and how our students can engage and aid their work.
IV Form: Make it, Break it, Fix it (Practice Building) (Design & Create)
IV Form students get the chance to gain hands-on experience solving problems. These can be completing a 2,000-piece landscape puzzle, having to install a window unit air conditioner, or figuring out how to shorten pants. The week will put them through a myriad of situations, testing their physical and mental problem-solving skills. IV Formers will get the chance to hone their ability to be a good teammate and create solutions for the mundane or monumental problems society faces.
V Form: Entrepreneurship - Lion's Tank
V Form Lion Term is unlike any other! Students will use some of what they learned during III and IV Form years to formulate their pitch. III Form Lion Term emphasizes giving back to the community, and IV Form emphasizes the process of building something. V Form students will work in small groups to show their entrepreneurial skills and pitch a product that somehow gives back to the world. A panel of experts and faculty will judge their product on how realistic, impactful, and creative they are to decide who emerges from the Lion’s Tank victorious.
VI Form Core: Adulting
VI Formers will be mere days away from Prize Day and wondering so many things about life after St. Mark’s. This week is structured so that VI Formers can start to get some of those answers. Financial Literacy, Household Repair, Career Navigation, and Automotive Care are just a few of the areas VI Formers will get exposure to in order to have more of the “real life” skills they need, no matter what they end up doing after graduation.