Archer School for Girls

Infobox Private School
background = #f0f6fa
border = #ccd2d9
school_name = Archer School for Girls
location = 11725 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90049


established = 1995
Type = Independent
Religion = nonsectarian
motto = "Honestas Veneratio Conscientia"
Head_name = Administration
Principal = Elizabeth English
City = Brentwood, Los Angeles, California
State = CA
Country = USA
campus =
enrollment = 500
grades = 6-12
faculty = 79
class = 16
ratio = 7:1
newspaper = The Oracle
year =
SAT =
athletics = Fall: Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Middle School Volleyball. Winter: Varsity and Middle School Soccer, Varsity and Middle School Basketball.
Spring: Equestrian, Varsity and Middle School Softball, Varsity Swimming, and Varsity and Middle School Track.
colors = color box|#024930color box|#5B027A
mascot = Panthers
homepage = [http://www.archer.org/ www.archer.org]
The Archer School for Girls is an independent, nonsectarian, single-sex middle to high school in Los Angeles, California. Approximately 500 students are enrolled in grades 6-12. The student body reflects the many faces of Los Angeles. Students come from neighborhoods encompassing more than 73 zip codes in the city. The school is dedicated to giving at least 20 % of its students financial aid and assistance. Most students who receive financial aid receive (on average) 67% of the tuition, which is approximately $25,000. The founding classes of the school are from the graduating years of 2001 and 2002. [ [http://www.archer.org/about/glance.asp The Archer School for Girls] - official website. Accessed 22 November 2006.] .

The Archer School was founded in 1995 by three women: Dr. Diana Meehan, Victoria Shorr, and Megan Callaway. The school was named in honor of the mythological goddess Artemis, a hunter and protector of young women. It has also been said that Henry James's celebrated antiheroine Isabel Archer, of Portrait of a Lady, inspired the school's name; however, that book was not on any class syllabi at Archer during its formative years. The foreign languages they teach are Latin, French, Spanish, and Chinese starting from 6th grade.

The school was originally located on a small campus in the Pacific Palisades, however in 1999 the school moved to its permanent location in Brentwood, which is situated on convert|8|acre|m2 on Sunset Blvd. With its courtyards, fountains, painted ceilings, and grand hearths, Archer retains the charm and elegance of the early twentieth century, while seamlessly combining the energy and spirit of the twenty-first.

Until the late 1990s, the building was the Eastern Star Home, a retirement home for widows of members of the Masons. The building, which was built in 1931 under the supervision of its architect, William Mooser III, is an historic landmark and was featured as a retirement home in the Roman Polanski film Chinatown [ [http://www.fiedlers.com/Neighborhoods/Brentwood.html Information on Brentwood] . Accessed 22 November 2006.] . It was also featured in the Eddie Murphy remake of Dr. Doolittle and in "Crazy as Hell," a television movie starring Sinbad.

For nearly thirty years, the colorful Maypole has appeared each spring at 11725 Sunset Boulevard. Originally conceived as a surprise for the residents of the Eastern Star Home, which formerly occupied the site, the Maypole was secretly put up in the dark of night by neighbors who preferred to remain anonymous. When Archer moved to the property in 1999, the School was thrilled to be able to continue the neighborhood tradition, while adding a distinctly Archer flair.

Seniors and their fathers are responsible for erecting the Maypole, which remains on the front lawn throughout graduation and the end of the school year. On the last day of school, sixth graders - dressed in handmade head wreaths - perform a Renaissance-era Maypole dance while the entire school enjoys a picnic lunch. Just as the Maypole tradition joins Archer's oldest and youngest students, it is also a connection with the former residents of the Eastern Star, women who shared Archer's commitment to service and community.

Recent activities

Students from the school traveled to India help make a documentary about education for girls in northern India and the problems that women face in getting an education. [http://www.ashevillefilmfestival.com/pages/documentary.htm] . The school will host an invitation debate tournament to other schools [http://www.joyoftournaments.com/ca/vb/defn/_6023_jot1.htm] . The school robotics team is sponsored by the JPL and will be participating in national robotics competitions. [http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2001/regional.html] [http://www.unitycare.org/about/news_3_29_2002.shtml] [http://marsrover.nasa.gov/gallery/video/webcast20030219-maria.html] .Also, every end of school year, the sixth grade Archer Girls will wind the Maypole, a tradition that has been going on for many years.

Notable past speakers

*Amy Tan - Author, The Joy Luck Club
*Tony Kushner - Author, Angels in America
*Billy Collins - Former Poet Laureate
*Sally Ride - Astronaut, 2006 commencement speaker [http://www.learninglikeagirl.com/resources-isis.html]
*Brooke Shields - Actress, 2007 commencement speaker
*Jamie Lee Curtis - Actress, 2008 commencement speaker

Notable alumni

Caleigh Peters

References

* "Global Nomads Group Relies on Videoconferencing to Connect Students Worldwide," Annamaria DiGiorgio. T.H.E. Journal. Tustin: Feb 2004.Vol.31, Iss. 7; pg. 8. PMID (ProQuest Media Identifier): 19693. (videoconferencing between Archer School, a school in New York, and a school in Israel during Global Perspectives: One World, Many Celebrations)

External links

* [http://www.archer.org/ The Archer School for Girls official website]