News Archive

Commencement for the Class of 2025 took place today, May 23. Seniors gathered on campus for one final time as Archer students to receive their head wreaths and take individual and group photos before boarding the bus to the Skirball Cultural Center. There, family and friends gathered to witness them walk up to the stage. The ceremony opened with welcome remarks from Board of Trustees Co-Chairs Frank Marshall and Tiffany Smith-Anoa’i, followed by Head of School Elizabeth English. Senior Stephanie Perea then delivered a heartfelt address to her classmates and the audience. Next, Kathleen Keelty gave the faculty speech, sharing reflections and encouragement to the graduates. The Class of 2025 performed their class song, “In My Life” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, before Upper School Student Body President Rachel Chung introduced the keynote speaker, Lieutenant Governor of California, Ambassador Eleni Kounalakis, who inspired the graduates and audience with her speech. The diplomas were officially awarded by Archer Co-Founder Dr. Diana Meehan, Ms. English, Director of Upper School Maggie Cenan, and 12th Grade Dean of Community, Culture, and Belonging Casey Huff. To close the ceremony, the graduates sang the school song, “Within the Walls of Archer,” before exiting the stage as newly-minted alums. The celebration continued with a joyful reception, where graduates, families, friends, and faculty gathered to honor the Class of 2025 and their achievements.

The results of the 2025 National Spanish Exam (NSE) are in, and Archer's Spanish students earned an impressive total of 60 medals (including 11 gold medalists across levels 1-5) and 55 honorable mention certificates. Over 80,000 Spanish students from across the nation took the NSE this year. Out of the 203 students at Archer who completed the exam, 57% earned either a medal or an honorable mention. See the exam results.

 

Additionally, four senior medallists in the especially challenging upper levels, Tavi Memoli, Lucía Williams, Emma Winkler, and Cezanne Silverton, and sophomore Adella T. were awarded the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese’s (AATSP) prestigious Kevin Cessna-Buscemi Global Citizen Scholarship.

Archer’s 12th annual STEM Symposium took place on campus Saturday, May 17. The event provides high school students with a platform to showcase their STEM projects and share their accomplishments with the broader community. This year’s symposium featured 43 presenters from Archer and 26 from other Los Angeles-area high schools.

Attendees explored student research during poster sessions held in the Zeller Student Center and attended breakout presentations that offered a deeper dive into individual projects. Roundtable Discussions further enriched the experience by providing a space for student researchers from all schools to meet in small groups and engage in meaningful dialogue about their research experiences, challenges, and takeaways. 

The day concluded with a keynote address by Danielle Marsh, a Spacecraft Systems Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. As a lead engineer on the Mars Sample Return Mission and a mentor for young women in STEM, Marsh inspired the audience with her insights and experiences. The event closed with the presentation of the RISE Scholar Awards—congratulations to Callie R. ’26, Finley V. ’26, Caroline C. ’26, and Sophia Shin ’25 on receiving this honor.

Archer’s 2024-2025 yearbook and newspaper editors earned the prestigious National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) Leadership Award. Congratulations to Hestia’s Flame editorial board: Parker K. ’25, Emma W. ’25, Abby B. ’25, Ashley C. ’27, Caroline F. ’27, Olivia H.-G. ’26, Natalie L. ’26, Catalina L.-S. ’27, Rachel M. ’25, and Pasha S. ’27. Additional congratulations to The Oracle’s editorial board: Surya P. ’25, Siena F. ’25, Zoe G. ’25, Meredith H. ’26, Emily P. ’26, Oona S. ’26, Lola T. ’26, Sydney T. ’26, Francie W. ’25, Melinda W. ’26, and Lucy W. ’25.

Archer’s 2025 Athletics Awards Night was held on Tuesday, May 13, in the Zeller Student Center. The evening began with a warm welcome and a reflective address from Director of Athletics, Kim Smith.

Each Upper School Varsity team recognized three standout athletes with awards for Most Improved, Panther, and MVP. Tennis seniors Presley F. ’25, Parker K. ’25, and Simonne M. ’25 shared brief descriptions of each of the categories before coaches took the stage to present the individual honors.

As the program moved through the sports seasons, the community enjoyed dynamic highlight reels celebrating the R.I.S.E (Reach. Inspire. Strengthen. Execute.) of Archer’s fall, winter, and spring sports teams. These moments of reflection and celebration set the stage for the team awards.

The evening culminated in the presentation of Archer’s major athletic honors. Head Coaches introduced the awardees: Rookie of the Year Jacqueline M. ’28, Scholar-Athlete Surya P. ’25, and Athlete of the Year Arianna B. ’27.

To close the celebration, Coach Smith returned to the stage with final reflections and heartfelt congratulations, bringing a meaningful end to an inspiring year in Archer athletics.

The Archer School for Girls is proud to announce that Lieutenant Governor of California, Ambassador Eleni Kounalakis, will serve as the 2025 Commencement speaker. A distinguished public servant, accomplished diplomat, and a steadfast champion for women's leadership, Ambassador Kounalakis will address Archer’s graduating Class of 2025 during the ceremony to be held on Friday, May 23, 2025 at Skirball Cultural Center.

The Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles is pleased to announce it has received a $150,000 grant from The Hearst Foundations towards the School’s Flexible Tuition program, which awarded $3.7 million to students in the 2024-2025 school year. 

Archer had another strong showing at the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards this year. In the arts category, Archer students won 15 awards, including five Silver Keys and eight Honorable Mentions. Isabella V. ’25 won a gold key and a National Silver Award for her photography. Meanwhile, in the writing category, Archer students won one Silver Key and two Honorable Mentions. Additionally, Viv A. ’26 and Sarah M. ’28 received national awards for 2024, and Sarah was also published.

Archer students earned a record number of medals and honorable mentions in this year's National French Contest, or "Grand Concours." Two students earned platinum medals for their perfect scores, while Archer also took home 13 golds, 8 silvers, and 12 bronze medals. 38 students earned Honorable Mention. Félicitations to these students and their teachers.

Maya K. ’29 attended the CA State Science Fair last weekend, alongside 880 other participants from 350 schools. Maya received an Honorable Mention in the Behavioral & Social Sciences category for her project “Fit Flies” which studied whether exercise improves motor function in individuals with Parkinson's disease. You can read more about her research on Archer’s website.

Golden Globe Award-winning actress Amy Adams, Director of the Telluride Film Festival Julie Huntsinger, and Golden Globe Award-nominated filmmaker Karyn Kusama will speak to students and aspiring young filmmakers at the fourteenth annual Archer Film Festival on Friday, April 11, 2025, at the Writers Guild Theater at 6:00 p.m. 

As the entertainment industry navigates a cultural reckoning over equity, inclusion, and representation, the Archer Film Festival offers an unmissable opportunity for aspiring filmmakers to hear directly from three trailblazing women—Adams, Huntsinger, and Kusama—who bring a wealth of experience from behind and in front of the camera.

The Archer Film Festival, organized and led by students, seeks to empower female filmmakers and amplify the voices of those often overlooked in the industry. In addition to the Q&A panel featuring Amy Adams, Julie Huntsinger, and Karyn Kusama, the festival will screen a selection of finalist films. This year, the festival received over 300 student-produced film submissions from more than 30 countries worldwide. Esteemed sponsors of the event include Warner Bros. Television Group, Flawless, Mark Gordon Pictures, Paramount, Apache, Campfire Studios, and Paramount Pictures.

Amy Adams is a Golden Globe Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated actress. After a breakout role in the independent comedy, “Junebug,” Adams rose to fame with her portrayal of Princess Gisele in the Disney musical film “Enchanted.” Her film credits also include “The Fighter,” “The Master,” and “Arrival.” Adams has received six Academy Award nominations and won two Golden Globe Awards, for her portrayals in “American Hustle” and “Big Eyes.” Adams is also an ambassador for the RightWay Foundation.

Director of the Telluride Film Festival, Julie Huntsinger, has helped propel the Colorado-based festival to the top ranks of international film festivals over the past 18 years. The former producer began her career in the film business in 1993 when she worked alongside late Telluride founder and co-director Tom Luddy at Francis Ford Coppola’s film studio American Zoetrope in San Francisco. She served as producer for the first time on a project shot in China for Zoetrope’s Chrome Dragon Films. Huntsinger went on to produce a number of films, working across the globe with renowned, award-winning filmmakers. She advised Telluride for years before being appointed a Director in 2006. She has served on international film festival juries and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as well as British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Prior to her work in film, Huntsinger received a BA in French literature from the University of California, Berkeley, and completed the Mass Media Institute’s program in Broadcast Journalism at Stanford University.

Karyn Kusama most recently directed the first two episodes of AMC’s horror anthology series, “The Terror: The Devil In Silver,” of which she is also an executive producer. The show is set to premiere in 2025. Karyn is also an executive producer of Showtime’s coming-of-age survival drama, “Yellowjackets.” The show has garnered ten Emmy nominations to date, including one for Karyn’s direction of the pilot episode. Prior to that, Kusama helmed the Golden Globe-nominated film “Destroyer” starring Nicole Kidman and written by her frequent collaborators, Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi. Her feature credits include indie thriller “The Invitation,” cult horror comedy “Jennifer’s Body,” sci-fi love story AEON FLUX, and her Cannes and Sundance-award winning debut, “Girlfight.”  Kusama has also worked extensively in television, directing episodes for such series as “The Mysterious Benedict Society” (for which she won a Children’s and Family Emmy Award), “Dead Ringers,” “Halt And Catch Fire,” “The Outsider,” and “The Man In The High Castle.” In 2018, Kusama launched Familystyle Film, her production company with Hay and Manfredi, where they produce for film and television across multiple genres. 

The Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University has studied gender disparities in the top 100 grossing films since 2002. This year, they examined over 2,000 characters appearing in the top performers in 2024. For the “first time in recent history,” the percentage of films featuring female protagonists equaled that of those featuring male protagonists. 37% of all speaking roles in top-performing 2024 films were held by women, up from 35% the previous year. Strides are being made when it comes to the lack of diversity and the gender gap, but there is still a ways to go. The Archer Film Festival aims to bridge these divides by providing a platform for students with unique perspectives to showcase their work. The festival strives to empower young creatives and advance the art of filmmaking.

For more information about The Archer School for Girls and the festival, visit www.archer.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok at @ArcherSchoolforGirls.

Archer’s Lit &... Conference is an annual celebration of creative writing and literary and cultural analysis that invites students from across Los Angeles to present their research in The Tia Palermo Library. The conference is traditionally broken up into themed panels moderated by Archer students. This year’s panels explored topics such as gender theory and critique, perspectives on language and self-expression, and the political, philosophical, and social.

Archer has won the Journalism Education Association (JEA) First Amendment Press Freedom Award (FAPFA) for its 10th year. This year, only 16 schools nationally earned the award, and Archer was one of them. The First Amendment Press Freedom Award recognizes private and public high schools that actively support, teach, and protect First Amendment rights and responsibilities of students and teachers, with an emphasis on student-run media where students make all final decisions of content through policies and practice. Upper School Director Ms. Cenan and advisers and editors of Archer’s newspaper, yearbook, and literary magazine were all part of this application to win the award.

Archer’s very own Julianna H. '25 is a dance semifinalist in The Music Center in Downtown L.A.’s 37th annual Spotlight performing arts program. ‘Spotlight’ is a nationally acclaimed performing arts competition, scholarship, and artistic development program for teens. Out of over 1,600 students who applied from across Southern California, Julianna is one of only 113 semifinalists. With this distinction, she will have the privilege of attending a special mastery class led by highly regarded dancers. As a semifinalist, Julianna will have the opportunity to audition to be a finalist in her category.

On Sunday, February 16, the Upper School robotics team, The Muses, and the Middle School robotics team, Robo Panthers, competed at the Inter-League Tournament held at Monrovia High School. Members of the Upper School robotics team shared their experience with their younger counterparts in preparation for the competition. In particular, Lucy K. ’26 dedicated time to teaching the Middle School robotics team as part of her Girl Scout Gold Award.

Of the 30 teams that participated in the tournament, the Robo Panthers secured 7th place while the Muses took 8th place. The Robo Panthers advanced to the semifinals and engaged in playoff matches, whereas the Muses earned the 2nd place Control Award for their effective use of sensors and software on the playing field. This marked Archer's first year with both a Middle and Upper School robotics team participating in the FIRST Tech Challenge, allowing both teams to support one another throughout the season.

The Service Squad sold Valentine’s Day Candy Grams during lunch periods this week. Students could purchase the candy grams to send to their peers and teachers. Additionally, StuCo collaborated with Service Squad and wrote a candy gram for every student in the school. Ultimately, the candy grams were delivered during mentorship on Wednesday, February 12, by Service Squad members dressed up in Valentine's attire. All proceeds will go to the California Fire Foundation.

On Thursday, February 6, the Black Student Union (BSU), in collaboration with the Eastern Star Gallery (ESG), presented the opening reception for ‘At the Doorstep of Culture: Black Spaces as Sanctuaries,’ an immersive installation honoring Black resilience, creativity, and community. 

Vivianne A. ’26 and Sarah M. ’28 won Scholastic Art & Writing Gold Medals for their writing in 2024, and now their works have gone on to win the highest prize: National Medals. Vivianne won in the poetry category and Sarah won in the personal essay and memoir category.

Additionally, in December, Sarah's personal essay was published in “2024 Anthology, Tell Me A Story: Writing Selections from the 2024 Scholastic Awards.”

After a nearly two-week campus closure due to the L.A. fires, we were happy to welcome students back on Tuesday, January 21. Parents donated water and snacks for students upon their return. StuCo added to the atmosphere by playing music every day during lunch.