The student news site of The Archer School for Girls

The Oracle
The new, blank triangle sign on the gender-neutral bathroom replaces the old female figure sign. According to GSA Executive Board member and junior Remi Cannon, the opening of the gender-neutral bathroom helps provide a safe space for students of all gender identities at Archer.
New gender-neutral bathroom provides safety, comfort for students of all gender identities
Spanish teacher Talia Geffen produced the poster for the first ever ARCHERVISION competition based on the Eurovision Song Contest poster. The competition included both middle and upper school divisions. (Graphic Illustration by Talia Geffen)
Archer community celebrates middle, upper school ARCHERVISION winners
Senior Ella Poon recounts the power of theater for Latine Americans by highlighting everyday life in Washington Heights from the musical “In the Heights.” Archer’s annual Advanced Study Humanities Symposium was held in the library and Media Space Friday, May 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.
Annual Advanced Study Humanities Symposium highlights seniors’ passions through presentations, writing
Tess Hubbard (24) explains InvenTeams outreach strategies of connecting with local and digital audiences. The team presented on campus to parents, students and teachers during the STEM Symposiums third breakout session presentation.
STEM Symposium offers platform to discover scientific solutions, explore global problems
The Animal Rights Club holds a bake sale fundraiser with treats ranging from cookies to donuts to customizable lemonade. The club raised money for the Sanctuary at Soledad, an animal rescue center, Thursday, May 11, in the courtyard.
Baking a change: Animal Rights Club hosts bake sale, fundraises for the Sanctuary at Soledad
A graphic illustration depicts a teen girl being pointed at, feeling peer pressure. According to Firewall Times, 85% of high school students have felt peer pressure during middle or high school. (Graphic Illustration by Lola Thomas)
Archer students reflect on peer pressure’s impact, professionals describe psychological effects
Junior Maia Alvarez and sophomores Cezanne Silverton and Allie Yang practice for the speech and debate club’s national competition. According to another debate team member Lucy Williams (’25), the art and language of disagreement has largely been forgotten but is fundamental to understanding opposing opinions and one’s own beliefs.
The culture of discourse, importance of conversation, communication in the 21st century
An image of a phone with numerous searches for how to fix one’s body demonstrates social medias deeply-rooted diet culture. According to Healthline, there was a large user growth among girls ages 15-22 on TikTok, an app known to spread misinformation, especially about weight and dieting. (Graphic Illustration by Olivia Hallinan-Gan)
Teenage girls reflect on diet culture on social media in all-girls environment
This WordCloud illustrates the results of a survey about teenage girls’ self-esteem where Archer students were asked to describe how social media makes them feel in one word. Social media has both positive and negative effects on teen girls, specifically on their body image and mental health. (Graphic Illustration by Tavi Memoli)
Self-love and social media: Teen girls navigate their lives on, off the internet
An individual pushes away boxes labeled with common phrases teenagers say that misuse the labels of mental health disorders. Clinical psychologist and author Lisa Damour said it is essential that people separate describing momentary feelings from clinical diagnoses to not diminish the experience of those who struggle with the disorder. (Graphic illustration by Emily Paschall).
Teenagers’ conversations on mental health: misusing clinical diagnoses, social media’s impacts, self-diagnosing
Azel Al-Kadiri (23), portraying Elinor Dashwood, and Ella Gray (24), portraying Marianne Dashwood, hold hands during a technical rehearsal of Sense and Sensibility. Rehearsals for the upper school play began in January and spanned over three months.
From script to stage: Making of ‘Sense and Sensibility’
Choir Director Hannah O’Connor leads middle school a capella, the Middle C’s, as they sing “Roar” by Katy Perry. A cappella, choir and orchestra groups came together  to perform the Spring Concert May 3-5 in the amphitheater.
Cities, Seas and Stars: Spring Concert sends audience on musical journey through community, culture
Junior Julissa Espinoza creates pieces inspired by different interests and cultural connections for her Advanced Ceramics class. The skull ceramic piece was inspired by Mexican artist Alfonso Castillo Orta, and the lamp was inspired by nature, specifically sun rays, as well as the symbol sagrado corazon. (Graphic Illustration by Audrey Chang)
Cakes, culture and creativity: Advanced ceramics students construct independent projects, reflect on past year
Strawberries, pots, blueberries and more fill the Eastern Star Gallery. Seniors Sara Steiner and Lily Prokop opened their ceramics show, Soirée, Wednesday, May 10.
A community soirée: Lily Prokop, Sara Steiner open senior ceramics show
The front cover of the Nationals new album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein, features a photograph of a young boy holding a mannequins head. The ninth album in their catalog finds the rock band examining sadness with a newfound softness.
Review: The National re-examines their sadness in ‘First Two Pages of Frankenstein’
Azel Al-Kadiri (23), portraying Elinor Dashwood, and Ella Gray (24), portraying Marianne Dashwood, hold hands during a technical rehearsal of Sense and Sensibility. Rehearsals for the upper school play began in January and spanned over three months.
From script to stage: Making of ‘Sense and Sensibility’
Choir Director Hannah O’Connor leads middle school a capella, the Middle C’s, as they sing “Roar” by Katy Perry. A cappella, choir and orchestra groups came together  to perform the Spring Concert May 3-5 in the amphitheater.
Cities, Seas and Stars: Spring Concert sends audience on musical journey through community, culture
Junior Julissa Espinoza creates pieces inspired by different interests and cultural connections for her Advanced Ceramics class. The skull ceramic piece was inspired by Mexican artist Alfonso Castillo Orta, and the lamp was inspired by nature, specifically sun rays, as well as the symbol sagrado corazon. (Graphic Illustration by Audrey Chang)
Cakes, culture and creativity: Advanced ceramics students construct independent projects, reflect on past year
Strawberries, pots, blueberries and more fill the Eastern Star Gallery. Seniors Sara Steiner and Lily Prokop opened their ceramics show, Soirée, Wednesday, May 10.
A community soirée: Lily Prokop, Sara Steiner open senior ceramics show
The front cover of the Nationals new album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein, features a photograph of a young boy holding a mannequins head. The ninth album in their catalog finds the rock band examining sadness with a newfound softness.
Review: The National re-examines their sadness in ‘First Two Pages of Frankenstein’
This is the famous truffle pasta from Sushi House Unico located in Beverly Glen Circle. It was creamy and it had great texture to it. This was my favorite dish of the night.
Review: Sushi House Unico’s dishes capture wide range of cuisines
I hold my dessert from Pinkberry: a large pomegranate and tart swirl with cookies and cream and chocolate chips on top. Upon the first bite I knew this would be my new favorite dessert place.
Review: Pinkberry’s frozen yogurt is personalizable, delicious
The açaí bowl, margarita pizza and curry bowl are pictured at Gratitude Cafe. One of my favorites on the menu was the pizza as it replicated a traditional pizza, while adding new flavors and expanding my tastebuds. The cafe offers a wide range of vegan cuisine, such as an entirely plant-based cheese made from cashews.
Review: Cafe Gratitude offers wide variety of quality vegan dishes
My meal included pancakes and a side of bacon and scrambled eggs. After one bite, I was immediately hooked. I knew that the Good Neighbor Diner would forever be one of my all-time favorite restaurants.
Review: Studio City’s Good Neighbor Restaurant is the perfect small town spot
This year, we cooked up and untraditional Thanksgiving table at my grandmothers house consisting of Oysters Rockefeller, lobster bisque and debuting sweet potato Christmas trees. Experiment with new holiday dishes this winter to spice up your seasonal routine and impress friends and family.
A cozy, untraditional winter food adventure
A student athlete thinks about her day-to-day activities. Many Archer student athletes reported learning time management skills and resilience through sports. (Graphic Illustration by Meredith Ho)
Benefitting and learning through sports: Student athletes develop endurance, time management
A volleyball rests on the Archer logo, which is painted on the sports court. The court can function as a playing space for volleyball, pickle ball and basketball and hosts Archer fitness classes.
From classroom to carpool: Student athletes, athletics department reflect on campus sports facilities, transportation
Junior Izzy Jeffery holds hands with her teammate Kennedy Schultz (’23) during a match in the 2021-2022 season. Jeffery has played volleyball for eight years with little league, club and school teams, loving the sports energy and intensity throughout.
Q&A with volleyball player, Junior Olympics competitor Izzy Jeffery
Varsity basketball player Phoebe Ramirez (25) smiles as she accepts the Panther Award alongside her coaches. The Panther Award is given to one student athlete on each sports team for their demonstration of honesty, respect and responsibility throughout the season.
Athletic Awards Night recognizes upper school student athletes’ accomplishments, season highlights
Club lacrosse team Fire Lacrosse holds up sticks to cheer after a practice at John Adams Middle School. High school soccer goalie and club volleyball player Serenity Jones-Nwankwo said she has played through and not been fully honest about her injuries because she would rather play hurt than not play at all.
Managing athletic injuries: High school, collegiate concussion protocols, injury awareness
My parents assemble all the ingredients necessary to make which dumpling filling. This particular dinner, my mom tried to step out of her comfort zone by making a pork and mushroom dumpling, which she had never attempted before.
My top 5 favorite Chinese foods
Instagram plays a large role in the growing rates of eating disorders in teenagers. As the apps popularity exponentially increases among teenagers, the commonality of eating disorders in teens has risen as well. (Graphic illustration by Tavi Memoli)
Op-Ed: Instagram’s role in the growing rates of eating disorders in teenagers
This graphic image contains promotional posters for five journalism films I believe are inspiring and powerful. These films range from the classic All the Presidents Men, which was revolutionary for the way it depicted journalism, to Bad Education, which emphasizes the power of student journalism in schools. (Graphic Illustration by Nina Sperling)
From ‘Shattered Glass’ to shattered glass ceilings: 5 films that capture the power of journalism
Jet Rags only location in Los Angeles has a large ground floor and a smaller second floor. Smaller items like rings, sunglasses and iron-on patches can be found near the cash register on the first floor.
My 3 favorite thrift stores in Los Angeles
Sophomore Mia Vosicher wrote an opinion piece for her 10th grade English class about the meaning of true activism and how people should approach making change today. (Graphic Illustration by Maia Alvarez)
Op-Ed: What is true activism?
Japanese Breakfast performed May 11 at the Kilby Block Party Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah. Witnessing their performance live is one of my final memories of high school and stirred up a lot of bittersweet emotions.
Column: An ode to senior year… and Japanese Breakfast
My friend and I took this screenshot of our avatars on one of our favorite servers. Throughout all the years I’ve played video games, it’s always been the one I can consistently return to, having built some of my strongest relationships and shaped who I am as a person.
Column: Create new world
As I begin the road to graduation, Im reminded of the extraordinary experience that Ive had writing a feminist column. It has been a beautifully empowering process that I will be forever grateful for.
Column: Dear column, I love you.
Disney’s 2002 film “Lilo and Stitch” is getting a live action reboot, set to release in 2024. Recently, the film has come under fire, though, for its seemingly whitewashed casting decisions. (Graphic Illustration by Sydney Frank)
Column: “Ohana means family”
Image displays a Nintendo Switch alongside a gaming mouse and a few dollar bills. With the overwhelming prices of video games in the modern age, here are five wonderful games that you can play for free! Image credit to Paulina DePaulo.
Column: The best games in life are free
Instagram plays a large role in the growing rates of eating disorders in teenagers. As the apps popularity exponentially increases among teenagers, the commonality of eating disorders in teens has risen as well. (Graphic illustration by Tavi Memoli)
Op-Ed: Instagram’s role in the growing rates of eating disorders in teenagers
Sophomore Mia Vosicher wrote an opinion piece for her 10th grade English class about the meaning of true activism and how people should approach making change today. (Graphic Illustration by Maia Alvarez)
Op-Ed: What is true activism?
Sophomore Sophia Calne wrote an opinion piece for her 10th grade English class about how height should be included in the body positivity movement, and people should be more sensitive to differences in height. (Graphic Illustration by Maia Alvarez)
Op-Ed: The weather down here
Sophomore Natalie Huang wrote an opinion piece for her 10th grade English class about how personality tests can capitalize off of and further insecurities. (Graphic Illustration by Maia Alvarez)
Op-Ed: This essay will tell you how insecure you are
Sophomore Sydney Curry wrote an opinion piece for her 10th grade English class about her experience being Black at a predominantly white school and the importance of affirming Black students value in their existence. (Graphic Illustration by Maia Alvarez)
Op-Ed: Is it because I’m Black?
My parents assemble all the ingredients necessary to make which dumpling filling. This particular dinner, my mom tried to step out of her comfort zone by making a pork and mushroom dumpling, which she had never attempted before.
My top 5 favorite Chinese foods
This graphic image contains promotional posters for five journalism films I believe are inspiring and powerful. These films range from the classic All the Presidents Men, which was revolutionary for the way it depicted journalism, to Bad Education, which emphasizes the power of student journalism in schools. (Graphic Illustration by Nina Sperling)
From ‘Shattered Glass’ to shattered glass ceilings: 5 films that capture the power of journalism
Jet Rags only location in Los Angeles has a large ground floor and a smaller second floor. Smaller items like rings, sunglasses and iron-on patches can be found near the cash register on the first floor.
My 3 favorite thrift stores in Los Angeles
Gift Guide: What to get your dad for Fathers Day
Gift Guide: What to get your dad for Father’s Day
These are six books I consider the perfect summer reads. They all take place in summer and are wonderful novels to keep you reading all season. (Graphic Illustration by Olivia Hallinan-Gan)
The perfect summer books with the perfect summer playlist
Letter to the Editor: See the whole person
Letter to the Editor: See the whole person
Conversation with Shirin Pakfar, head of private sector partnerships for United Nations Refugee Agency
Conversation with Shirin Pakfar, head of private sector partnerships for United Nations Refugee Agency
Letter to the Editor: Sun, sand and scrumptious
Letter to the Editor: Sun, sand and scrumptious
Letter to the Editor: Food deserts
Letter to the Editor: Food deserts
Letter to Editor: Mental Health Club: 8 Ways to stay occupied & healthy during social distancing
Letter to Editor: Mental Health Club: 8 Ways to stay occupied & healthy during social distancing
A graphic illustration depicts a teen girl being pointed at, feeling peer pressure. According to Firewall Times, 85% of high school students have felt peer pressure during middle or high school. (Graphic Illustration by Lola Thomas)
Archer students reflect on peer pressure’s impact, professionals describe psychological effects
The Scoop: A conversation with my trans brother
The Scoop: A conversation with my trans brother
Azel Al-Kadiri (23), portraying Elinor Dashwood, and Ella Gray (24), portraying Marianne Dashwood, hold hands during a technical rehearsal of Sense and Sensibility. Rehearsals for the upper school play began in January and spanned over three months.
From script to stage: Making of ‘Sense and Sensibility’
An image of a phone with numerous searches for how to fix one’s body demonstrates social medias deeply-rooted diet culture. According to Healthline, there was a large user growth among girls ages 15-22 on TikTok, an app known to spread misinformation, especially about weight and dieting. (Graphic Illustration by Olivia Hallinan-Gan)
Teenage girls reflect on diet culture on social media in all-girls environment
An individual pushes away boxes labeled with common phrases teenagers say that misuse the labels of mental health disorders. Clinical psychologist and author Lisa Damour said it is essential that people separate describing momentary feelings from clinical diagnoses to not diminish the experience of those who struggle with the disorder. (Graphic illustration by Emily Paschall).
Teenagers’ conversations on mental health: misusing clinical diagnoses, social media’s impacts, self-diagnosing
The Scoop: A conversation with my trans brother
The Scoop: A conversation with my trans brother
The Scoop on Academic Peer Pressure in preparation for College
The Scoop on Academic Peer Pressure in preparation for College
S3 Ep3 – Round Table: Varsity Winter Sports Captains
S3 Ep3 – Round Table: Varsity Winter Sports Captains
The Scoop S3 Ep3 – The Scoop on Growing Up Archer: Alumni Lauren Finkelstein
The Scoop S3 Ep3 – The Scoop on Growing Up Archer: Alumni Lauren Finkelstein
The Scoop S3 Ep2 – The Scoop on Antisemitism in Los Angeles
The Scoop S3 Ep2 – The Scoop on Antisemitism in Los Angeles
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The student news site of The Archer School for Girls

The Oracle
The student news site of The Archer School for Girls

The Oracle
Oona Seppala staff photo 2022

Oona Seppala, Staff Reporter

Oona Seppala joined the Oracle as a staff reporter in 2022. She plays on the varsity tennis team, is a member of Archer's a cappella group and is on the Honor Education Council. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends, reading, and playing instruments.

All content by Oona Seppala
Junior Maia Alvarez and sophomores Cezanne Silverton and Allie Yang practice for the speech and debate club’s national competition. According to another debate team member Lucy Williams (’25), the art and language of disagreement has largely been forgotten but is fundamental to understanding opposing opinions and one’s own beliefs.

The culture of discourse, importance of conversation, communication in the 21st century

By Oona Seppala, Staff Reporter
May 27, 2023
The new, blank triangle sign on the gender-neutral bathroom replaces the old female figure sign. According to GSA Executive Board member and junior Remi Cannon, the opening of the gender-neutral bathroom helps provide a safe space for students of all gender identities at Archer.

New gender-neutral bathroom provides safety, comfort for students of all gender identities

By Oona Seppala, Staff Reporter
May 27, 2023
Protagonists Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin) and Daisy Jones (Riley Keough) are seen exiting their private jet in the midst of their North American tour. Fans swarm the plane as the group enters the stage. Daisy Jones and The Six is human, raw and perfect for music lovers.

Review: ‘Daisy Jones and The Six’ is dramatic, personal, filled with catchy tunes

By Oona Seppala, Staff Reporter
May 9, 2023

Read the book

By Oona Seppala, Staff Reporter
May 1, 2023
My father and I celebrate my second birthday in 2009. In my family, birthdays are heavily celebrated and many memories of wishing to be older come from these parties. 

Commentary: A teenage dream

By Oona Seppala, Staff Reporter
March 3, 2023
The middle school green soccer team poses for a photo after a game against The Brentwood Schools blue soccer team. Archer lost this game 3-4. It’s great because everyone is so nice to each other team member Edie Wyles (27) said. In the beginning of the game it doesnt really matter because at the end, we all just tried our best.

Follow the leaders: Eighth graders lead and middle school green soccer team to playoffs

By Oona Seppala, Staff Reporter
February 16, 2023
Service Squad members Malia Apor (24) and Kayla Bruce (24), as well as a Red Cross representative, highlight names and check in blood donors outside the Zeller Student Center. “Donating blood is an accessible and easy way to give back to people who need it, Service Squad member Ella Dorfman (25) said. We have a lot of people who have a lot of blood to give that’s healthy.”

Red Cross crosses paths with Service Squad for annual blood drive

By Oona Seppala, Staff Reporter
February 15, 2023
Piper Rutman leads the Unaccompanied Minors in a rehearsal before the winter concert preview. Rutman is the a cappella group manager and has arranged many songs for the group. I want my music to be spark emotions in a good way and be that sad or happy or whatever, Rutman said.

Pandemic pursuit: how Piper Rutman explored passion for music composition, plans for future

By Oona Seppala, Staff Reporter
January 20, 2023
Allegra Carney staff photo 2022

[Photo] Allegra Carney

September 13, 2022
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