When Lolli Lucas, Ed.D. walked onto the Laguna campus at
the start of the 2015-16 school year, she thought it would be a
temporary assignment. Lolli was hired as the Interim Head of
Upper School while Laguna leadership undertook a national
search for the ideal candidate. Yet just six weeks into the job,
Laguna knew they’d already found their top candidate.
“It was a mutual love affair,” Lolli says. “I loved how much the
faculty embraced the school’s students, and the fact that students
remained central to every educational decision. I was proud to
be the leader they needed to provide a solid structure for that
student-centered ideal.”
Indeed, in her first year at Laguna, Lolli focused on building
a strong foundation of support for the school’s faculty, helping to
put policies in place to empower their creativity and development.
Moving forward, she hopes to continue building bridges of
collaboration and shared vision throughout the school.
“We have the right people in place,” Lolli says. “We’re
tightening up the entire school’s relationship with itself, from
the Lower School upward. I want our entire community to know
that the changes we’re making are good ones. I couldn’t be more
excited about where we’re going.”
Lolli comes to Laguna with an extensive history in educational
administration, including a Doctorate of Education from UCLA.
But she also brings a unique perspective on college admissions
to our Upper School students. Earlier in her career, Lolli served
as director of college counseling at Brentwood School in Los
Angeles and says her goal is always to prepare students for the
next level. And for her, that means university.
“Will they be ready? Will they be able?” she asks. “It’s our
job to ensure that they are. And we are grateful that Laguna
understands that education, character-building, and co-curricular
opportunities all play an essential role in ensuring success in our
students’ next chapter. To me, that truly is the Laguna experience.”
In the future, Lolli says Upper School faculty will continue
to pursue project-based learning, with a continued emphasis on
reaching students in new and different ways. This includes not
just making learning fun and interesting, but finding new ways to
assess how well kids are actually learning.
“One of the most exciting things about our faculty is that they
are not afraid of change,” Lolli says. “It doesn’t matter if we’re
amping up the school’s writing and college counseling programs,
or looking at new ways to bridge our Middle and Upper School
curricula—our teachers are on board and excited by the challenge.
They know they have a voice, and I am so proud to support them
in using it.”
I want Laguna
students to have
a higher sense of
where they fit into
the world.
Before joining Laguna Blanca, Lolli served as Upper School
Director at Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, California.
In addition to her work in administration and college
counseling at the secondary level, Lolli has held positions
in the admission offices of The College of William and Mary
and Pomona College. She holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology
from Vassar College, and a Doctorate of Education from
UCLA. She is the proud mother of son, Beckett Clark ’26,
who is a third grader at Laguna Blanca.
And just like the faculty, Lolli wants Laguna students to know
they have a voice as well—not just on campus, but in finding
their place in the rest of the world. The school’s public speaking
seminar and senior project program go a long way in teaching
those qualities.
“I want Laguna students to have a higher sense of where they fit
into the world,” Lolli says. “Our seniors will have an opportunity
to vote in the November presidential election. I don’t care who
they vote for—but I do care that they have an understanding for
why this is a historical election."
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