Birds chirping, the sound of wind brushing through the trees and members of the Brentwood community accompanying Archer girls singing. Last Friday, April 22, marked International Earth Day, which aims to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Both the Middle Cs, the middle school a cappella group, and the Unaccompanied Minors, the upper school a cappella group, sang during the event.

The Brentwood Community Council, a conglomeration of homeowners associations around the Brentwood neighborhood, organized an Earth Day celebration for the Brentwood community.

Archer’s Associate Head of School for Finance and Operations Jane Davis is a member of the Brentwood Community Council and suggested that Archer singers should perform at the Earth Day event. 

“One day, I was in my office, and the choir was practicing ‘Here Comes the Sun,’ and I said, that would be the perfect song for the celebration,” Davis said. “And now they are going to kick off the event, so it worked out perfectly.”

Archer choir member Naiobi Benjamin (’22) said she enjoys performing outside of school.   

“As a performer, it’s definitely good to be in different kinds of environments,” Benjamin said. “We are sheltered when performing in front of people that you know, so it’s always good to get out of your comfort zone and gain more experience performing in front of live audiences, which never hurts.”

Member of the Unaccompanied Minors Lucy Lassman (‘23) said she agreed with Benjamin that singing outside of Archer allows the performers to extend their community and audience.

“It was really special to be able to share our sound with people outside of the Archer community,” Lassman said. “Especially considering the history between our school and the Brentwood residents.”

During the event, members of the community planted trees, socialized and brainstormed ways the Brentwood community can further help the environment.

“Everyone at the park was so warm and welcoming; it felt like we were all part of a community together, which points out the point of Earth Day,” Lassman said. “Earth Day is all about sharing our love for the earth with the people around us.” 

Davis agreed with both Lassman and Benjamin and said she looks forward to finding new ways for the Archer community to share their talents in the greater Los Angeles area.

“Archer is part of the Brentwood community,” Davis said. “I think that students signing shows that we are part of the community. I think that’s really important.”