Archer School for Girls

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The Archer School for Girls is an independent, nonsectarian, single-sex college preparatory 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. The founding classes of the school are from the graduating years of 2001 and 2002. ^[1].

The Archer School was founded in 1995 by three women: Dr. Diana Meehan, Vicki Schorr, and Megan Callaway. The school was named in honor of the mythological goddess Diana, a huntress and protectress of young women. Greek and Roman mythology, as well as instruction in Latin, were important components to the curriculum during Archer's early years. 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 school was originally located on a small campus in the Pacific Palisades, however in 1999 the school moved to its permanent location Brentwood, which is situated on 8 acres 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^[2]. It was also featured in the Eddie Murphy remake of Dr. Doolittle and in "Crazy as Hell," a television movie starring Sinbad.

[edit] 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. [1]. The school will host an invitation debate tournament to other schools [2]. The school robotics team is sponsored by the JPL and will be participating in national robotics competitions. [3] [4][5].

[edit] 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)