In Scott Guttentag’s office at Dos Pueblos High School, time is layered across every wall: photos of students, events, and decades of moments that trace the life of a school shaped as much by relationships as by routines. Soon, those photos will begin to come down, one by one, as the space transitions into something new and Guttentag steps down from his role as activities director, counselor, and leadership teacher.

“We’re starting to talk about taking apart this room,” Guttentag said. “When people start taking down my pictures that’s going to make it really real.”

After 36 years at DPHS, Guttentag is preparing to step away from the campus where his work began in student support and school involvement, eventually evolving into a career that blended counseling, leadership, and campus life—something that now feels inseparable from the identity of the school itself.

But even as he prepares to leave, Guttentag is careful about the language he uses to describe the transition.

“I’m graduating DP,” he said. “I’m not retiring.”

For Guttentag, “graduating” feels more accurate than “leaving” — not an ending, but a transition away from a place that has defined most of his adult life. Still, he doesn’t try to soften the emotional weight of it.

“There’s a part of me that’s excited about what’s new,” Guttentag said. “But there’s sadness in the fact that this has been such a special place for me.

The tension between excitement and loss runs through how others describe his presence on campus as well. For many, Guttentag is not just a staff member, but a defining part of DPHS.

My first goal was to bring awareness to the students who were struggling,” Guttentag said. “Not letting students fall through the cracks.”

That idea, colleagues say, became the foundation of his work across decades, shaping both his counseling and his role in student activities.

“I think he is, in many ways, the student body culture,” said DPHS teacher and alumni Matt York, who first met Guttentag in 1998. “The good vibes, the energy — he’s always been at the center of that.”

York described Guttentag as someone who built much of the school’s spirit not just through planning events, but through constant presence: showing up, participating, and creating moments where students felt connected to something larger than themselves.

“He feeds off our joy,” York said. “And to be able to put together something, or be the number one football fan, I think that really fills his cup.”

But even that visible presence only captures part of his impact. For students, Guttentag’s influence often shows up in quieter, more personal ways that don’t always happen in the Greek or at a game.

“He goes above and beyond what any school counselor should or would do,” Art Spalinger (12) said. “I think that he is the biggest reason why I’m going to graduate this year.

Spalinger described moments where Guttentag helped him navigate academic systems and personal loss, offering support that extended far beyond typical counseling responsibilities. At times when school felt impossible to manage, he said Guttentag provided stability without judgement.

“When I wasn’t being communicative, he wasn’t judgmental, he wasn’t rude,” Spalinger said. “He wasn’t pushy, he was just supportive.”

That kind of support, students say, is often what defines him most; not just what he does, but how he does it.

Mylee Ortiz (11) said that in over three years of working with him, Guttenag’s presence has been consistent in both small and meaningful ways.

“He’s just very understanding. He kind of understood me when no one really did,” Ortiz said. “He got what a lot of teachers couldn’t get.”

ASB President Justin Ji (12) said that patience is one of the qualities that sets Guttentag apart from others in similar roles, especially when working with students in leadership positions.

“He’s always giving second chances to a bunch of students within leadership,” Ji said. “He’s always willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. That amount of patience, it affords him a lot of respect”

Rather than reacting immediately to issues, Ji said that Guttentag always takes time to listen and understand what is actually happening beneath the surface.

“He doesn’t want to make any assumptions,” Ji said. “He allows us to say our perspectives, and it helps him figure out how he can best support us.”

Still, much of Guttentag’s impact happens outside of the student view entirely.

“There was so much more behind the scenes than just what I saw as a student,” said Sienna Van Alphen, DPHS Athletic Director and alumni. “Now working with him, I realize how much it took to make everything happen.”

Van Alphen said that his work constantly shifted between student activities, event planning, and academic support, requiring long hours and constant attention to details that most students never saw.

“He’s one of those people who’s a whirlwind on campus: he is doing all the things and making all the things happen — it’s what he was probably born to do,” Van Alphen said. “I think he just wants everyone who’s involved with our school to have the best experience here, and he will do anything and stop at nothing to make sure that happens.”

Former staff member Lenita Davison described that same dual role through years of shared campus traditions, especially at school events where Guttentag’s presence was unmistakable.

“When we said ‘We are DP,’ it meant doing whatever it takes for students,” she said. “Scotty is that person.”

For Davison, some of the clearest memories come from Friday night football games, where she and Guttentag would work side by side to energize the crowd.

“He’d say, ‘You take the right, I’ll take the left,’ and we’d be running up and down the stadium,” she

said. “We’ve cheered, we’ve cried when we lost, and just shared that.”

Over time, those shared traditions became part of a larger culture that students and staff now associate directly with him — an energy that, according to many, is difficult to separate from DPHS itself.

“I don’t think there is anyone like him, he is Mr. DP,” Van Alphen said.

Ji said that the school will continue to evolve, but acknowledged that this transition marks a noticeable turning point.

“I think DP will take a turn,” he said. “But I hope for brighter, more future ideas.”

As Guttentag prepares to leave DPHS, the uncertainty of what comes next is something he speaks about honestly; what comes next is still open.

“I’m not done working. I still feel like I have more to do, and I’m not sure what that is, but I feel like I wasn’t ever going to find that if I just stayed here,” he said. “It was time to be like, ‘Okay, what’s next?’ And it’s scary to not have a plan and know that you want one, but I wasn’t going to be able to open any more doors of opportunity until I closed these doors.”

Even while looking toward the future, Guttentag said much of his focus remains on appreciating the time he still has left at DPHS.

“There’s a part of me that doesn’t want it to end. I don’t have a countdown. All I think about every day is, ‘Wow, another great day,’ and just trying to make every day the best,” he said. “And that’s been my goal since I decided this. It’s like, ‘What if I made this the best ending?’ And I’ve been having the best

time doing it.”

That gratitude, he said, has only deepened as students, staff, parents, and alumni continue to find ways to celebrate his impact on the campus that he has spent more than three decades shaping.

That appreciation will continue later this month, when students, staff, alumni, parents, and community members are invited to celebrate Guttentag at ‘Scotty G’s Graduation Party’ on May 22 from 5–8 p.m. at the DPHS Greek Theatre. The event, which is open to the entire community, will honor his decades of leadership, support, and involvement on campus.

“I don’t think I could possibly feel more love from a place than I have here,” Scotty said.

As the photos slowly begin coming down from the walls of his office, the community he helped build remains everywhere else: in the traditions, relationships, and culture of a campus that, for many students and staff, will always carry part of Scotty G with it.

Edited 5/9/2026 to include details about Scotty G’s Graduation Party.