La Reina empowers young women to be informed, empathetic and engaged members of society. We help every student find her own voice, believe in herself as an independent thinker and form a deep commitment to serving others.
Steeped in nearly 60 years of the Educational Vision and Principles of the Sisters of Notre Dame, we boldly faced a shifting landscape. Our school was the only high school in the Los Angeles Archdiocese to fully open in October 2020, with in-person five-day-a-week instruction. We are proud that La Reina continues to lead the way in our community.
Our Catholic educational principles are even more relevant and urgent under the current realities of COVID-19 and efforts to address diversity, equity and inclusion. They deeply inform us and call us to action: to believe in the centrality of a good and provident God, to respect the dignity of each person as an image of God, to educate as Gospel witnesses and to provide an integrated education for transformation, enabling our students to become their best selves empowered to make a difference in today’s world.
La Reina is blessed to have a powerful and engaging leader, Principal Maggie Marschner. Her dedication and passion, advocacy and action were evident from the time she stepped on campus two years ago. Her drive to ensure that La Reina continues to prepare students for their futures has profoundly reshaped teaching and learning at our school.
Principal Marschner’s commitment to student-centered learning inspired her to introduce the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework during the 2019-20 school year. As called for by La Reina’s 2019-2024 Strategic Plan, Her Future, Our Focus, our teachers are facilitators of the content in their classroom, supporting students as they grapple and grow in their capacity to tackle complex tasks and higher level thinking. As the girls become experts of their own learning style, their ability to take on challenges and be resilient is strengthened. This symbiotic relationship between teacher and student that happens in a La Reina classroom is only possible because of the connections built day-to-day.
“La Reina has helped me grow into a more confident person willing to share my ideas. I now have the confidence that I can do something with my life. The teachers encourage the students to go outside of their comfort zone, pushing us to be the best version of ourselves. I never had confidence that I could master math until my teacher pulled me aside and told me that she believed in me. La Reina’s teachers see the best in each of us, and the students that we can become. My goal is to be able to help people and impact their lives,” says Sophia Bryson, Senior Class of 2021.
Creativity is fostered through a unified arts community, while our students learn about themselves through faith-based retreats and community service opportunities that enable them to discover the means to transform the world around them.
“La Reina is a place where I am free to be me; this school has given me more than an education. I joined mock trial and robotics and find the clubs allow me to explore my interests. La Reina is a place where my imagination grows.” shares sixth grader Youqi An.
La Reina alumnae are strong, determined and tenacious, ready to go where life takes them. Recent USC graduate and La Reina alum Evelina Godecki shared about her experience:
“I think the one thing I will be forever grateful for about my La Reina experience was having the space and support to practice being a strong, bold, smart woman. In the technology space, I tend to find myself as the only woman in a meeting, but I have never been timid to speak up, discuss and collaborate with whomever I find myself working alongside.”
In today’s media-saturated world, it is not easy for girls to develop a healthy sense of self-worth, self-respect and purpose while preparing for their futures. To emerge from their teen years as confident, capable and compassionate young women, girls must first learn to believe in themselves and embrace their full potential. That’s what we do at La Reina!
To learn more about La Reina, visit LaReina.com or call 805.495.6494.