The Archer School for Girls' Saban IDEAlab Officially Opens

The Archer School For Girls’ Saban IDEAlab officially opened on October 8 with a ribbon cutting ceremony on the school’s historic campus in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. The new facility was made possible by generous contributions from The Cheryl Saban Self Worth Foundation for Women and Girls, Former President of the LAUSD Roberta Weintraub, the Edward E. Ford Foundation, and Archer supporters. The Engineering Classroom and Design Workshop will serve as the physical hub of Archer’s Integrated Design and Engineering Arts program.

The Saban IDEAlab will further Archer’s commitment to addressing the persistent lack of women in engineering and computer science. Attending the ribbon cutting were philanthropist, author and staunch advocate for the rights of women and girls Cheryl Saban; advocate for girls’ STEM proficiency Roberta Weintraub and her husband Ira Kinsky; Archer Board Member, author, and renowned cardiologist Dr. Barbara Natterson Horowitz, First Lady of Los

Angeles Amy Wakeland, UCLA Dean of Engineering Vijay Dhir, Archer Trustee Frank Marshall and Head of School Elizabeth English. Attendees were given tours of the new facility by students: Ari Brown, Zoe Applebaum-Schwartz, Leslie Castenada, Ruby Ehrlich, Camilla Gazcon, Gwen Strasberg, MaeLea Williams, and Claire Zeller.

“Engineering and design thinking are skills that strengthen a student’s capacity for critical thinking, project management, problem solving and teaming,” says Archer Head of School Elizabeth English. “Archer is proud to stand at the forefront of advancing girls in STEM and to be working toward a future where women are not only contributors to STEM solutions but leaders in the field.”

http://www.archer.org

PHOTO Patch file photo.