The Senior Dinner with Trustees is an annual dinner that many seniors look forward to. At the dinner, seniors get to talk with the trustees and share their experiences at Darlington. This year on Jan. 25 the senior dinner with trustees was held for the class of 2018.

“It is probably the favorite event of the Board of Trustees, I don’t know of any other school where the Board of Trustees would devote an entire evening of their two day meeting to spend with students,” Dean of College Guidance Sam Moss said.

The dinner is not only a chance to speak with the Board of Trustees, but a chance for Darlington School to grow.

“It is a tradition they have been doing for ten or twelve years and their main purpose is just to get feedback on the school from the students. They get reports from us [faculty], but they want to know what the students think,” Moss said.

Not only does the Board of Trustees look forward to hearing the students’ opinions, but the students look forward to sharing and interacting with the board.

“Most of all, I’m curious to see what my peers think about their Darlington experience and what they are willing to share and do to improve Darlington experiences of underclassmen. I also look forward to having constructive and honest conversations with the Board of Trustees. Not only sharing my experience at Darlington with them, but learning from their Darlington stories,” senior Stacy Chen said.

Later in the evening, the student panel, made up of five or six students, were asked questions by the chairman of the board.

“I have been chosen to represent the senior panel at the dinner, so I will be answering questions brought up by the board. I’m pretty nervous just because we all know that the Board of Trustees is vital to the growth of Darlington. I hope that my answers truthfully resonate with my senior class and can go on to influence future improvements at Darlington,” Chen said.

The dinner also poses as a learning opportunity for the seniors.

“It’s a good experience for future things like interviewing for jobs when you’re invited to a business dinner. From the student standpoint it’s a chance to pick up a little bit about how do you sit down and talk to somebody in a powerful position that you don’t know? It’s a good experience and it gives them a chance to say what they think,” Moss said.

The most valuable thing the students can take from the dinner are life lessons.

“The students get out of the dinner an opportunity to reflect on their experience and be heard by the board. But also understanding that when you take on a leadership role of any kind, listening is important,” trustee member Brent Bell said.