When senior Lucille Brooks stepped up to Head of School Luis Ottley’s front door, she was nervous. It was daunting being at the head of school’s house, and Brooks had no idea what to expect of the evening. When Ottley’s wife let her inside, Brooks didn’t see any other students. Worry filled her mind, until she realized everyone was in the backyard having fun. She immediately let out a sigh of relief.
Ottley’s idea to host senior dinners came together toward the end of last school year.
“I realized that in my role, as the head of school, if I don’t get to shadow students … I don’t really know the students,” Ottley said. “And I really wanted to change that.”
Ottley chose to host four dinners at his home, one each week of September. All seniors were invited by advisory, so each advisory chose the date that worked best with their availability.
The first dinner took place on Sept. 4, which Brooks and senior James Welsh attended among others.
“It was nice to see [Ottley] in a context outside of school, and then actually understand who he is, what he stands for, things like that,” Welsh said. “I admit I was a little skeptical at first, but I think [the dinners are] a great idea. It was a lot of fun. I got to know my classmates better. I got to know him better.”

Over the course of the night, the students ate, chatted and played taboo. Dinner consisted of beans, rice, tortillas, fajitas, dumplings and chocolate strawberries. For taboo, the students split into three teams, and Ottley participated.
“The only thing that I’d want to change is the result of the board game,” Ottley said.
At the end of the night, Ottley had the students go around and say what they have loved about their time at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, and what they want to improve.
“I said that I love the people at SPA. I’m a lifer, I’ve been here for 13 years, that’s the reason I’ve chosen to stay,” Welsh said.
“What I said could improve is the relationship between the administration and the students, but [Ottley’s] very down to earth. He agreed and asked for my input.”

Senior class lead advisor Amy Stading said the dinners are a step toward building better relationships.
“I think the dinners are about Dr. Ottley wanting to open his doors, create an opportunity for gathering and hospitality to the oldest students in campus, and hear about their experience,” Stading said.
Ottley is grateful for the opportunity to hear firsthand about the seniors’ experiences.
“When you’re trying to do the very best job you can to be the head of a school, hearing from students about what matters helps inform how you do that work,” he said. “I could sit in my office and imagine what matters to students, but if I don’t have the opportunity to interact and connect with them, and they get to tell me what’s important, then they’re just my ideas.”
Brooks felt that the discussion gave a platform to students that wasn’t previously available.
“Sometimes it feels like, when you’re [at SPA], you don’t really get a say in what happens around the school, and even when [the administration does] ask you in surveys, it’s not like you’re talking to a person,” Brooks said. “But in this discussion, it just felt like I was making an impact, even though I wasn’t really doing that much.”
Brooks urges those invited to Ottley’s house to show up and take advantage of the opportunity.
“I know it’s weird that you’re in [Ottley’s] house, but that sort of fades away really quickly, and it just becomes a really enjoyable night,” Brooks said.
Ottley hopes to make the dinners a tradition specific to the seniors, but only if the seniors want.
“It’s really going to depend on participation from the seniors, but I think [the dinners will] have a very positive impact,” Welsh said. “I hope it becomes a tradition, because it was really nice.”
Ottley’s final dinner took place Sept. 29.