2024-2025 Annual Report Rapport Annuel 2024-25
Welcome to the LILA 2024-25 Annual Report! This year, finding impactful highlights for our report was easy—in fact, we were humbled by the sheer volume of achievements! Even for those who witnessed them, it’s inspiring to see the collective success of our community and team in one place. Thank you to our families, donors, volunteers, faculty, and staff. Your partnership made 2024-25 a truly exceptional year of growth and resilience.
LILA Development & Communications
LILA45 Gala
LILA celebrated its 45th anniversary with a gala benefiting both the LILA Endowment Fund and the Arts @ LILA. Hosted at the beautiful City Market Social House, the “Sip & Saveur” gala was a food and beverage tasting festival featuring local restaurants, wineries, distilleries and more. LILA welcomed parents from across all four LILA campuses, as well as alumni, grandparents, and trustees. Gala by the numbers:
- 450 attendees
- $75,629 raised for the LILA Endowment Fund
- $78,950 raised for the Arts @ LILA
- 40+ silent auction items
- $50,000 estimated value of in-kind donations for the event
- $57,000 worth of event sponsorships
Arts @ LILA
Arts @ LILA funds have helped with the following so far:
- Dance classes encouraging self-expression and building confidence for grades 3-5 on all three elementary campus
- New A/V equipment for theater, Winterfest, and more!
- Hosting the IB Junior & Senior Art Exhibition at Morán Morán Gallery
OneLILA
LILA families, faculty and staff did what they do best and came together as OneLILA in January 2025 when dozens of members of our community were impacted by the wildfires.
Within hours of families evacuating, there was a digital resource document with families offering guest rooms, supplies, laundry help, etc. to those who were displaced by the fires.
Within days, parents had organized a donation center at LA River Studios where LILA families and the broader community could pick up essentials. Dozens of volunteers came together to set it up for a whole weekend and even more helped to move it to The Hole so the center could stay open for the LA community a while longer.
Within two weeks, LILA families were working through their network in the fashion industry to have new clothes donated for what would quickly become known as The Burbank Boutique. Housed in the Burbank campus auditorium, the Boutique catered to families who had lost everything providing them with brand new, often designer, clothes as they worked to rebuild.
Beyond that we had weekly meal delivery services from roomforty, complimentary galettes from Pitchoun! and the list goes on…
LILA’s New Mission
As is typical of any organization like ours, mission statements evolve as the School does. Trustees and members of the Leadership Team embarked on a thoughtful exercise to develop a mission that better reflected where LILA is today while still allowing it to grow. In June, the Board of Trustees proudly announced the new mission to the community (to the right):
“We cultivate an intrinsic global mindset as students learn to think critically, engage meaningfully, and thrive through an education in French and English—anchored in Francophone culture and enriched by an international curriculum and community.”
Once again, volunteers on all four campuses came together to help the School raise money toward the Annual Fund. A big thank you to our volunteers and donors who helped us reach $682,000!
Achievements
Athletics
We are proud to announce and celebrate that LILA Athletics earned three championship league titles and two runner-up finishes :
- 2024 HS Girls Cross Country Liberty League Champions
- 2024 HS Boys Cross Country Liberty League Runner-Up
- 2024 HS Boys Soccer Liberty League Runner-Up
- 2024-25 MS Girls Basketball Arroyo League Champions
- 2025 MS Co-ed Soccer Arroyo League Champions
These achievements created the path for the brand new program: Strength and Conditioning. Under the guidance and development of LILA Lifer and Division 1 Athlete Chloe LeVray along with supporting coaches we hosted student athletes working, after school on Mondays, lifting, conditioning and developing together as a school community. The Athletics department has made it their goal to continue to develop our student athletes by providing more training sessions on campus and meaningful athletic experiences.
Debate Students Shine!
The LILA Middle School Debate Team had an outstanding 2024-25 season with 21 members, including 19 tournament participants—17 of them first-year debaters. Competing in six tournaments, the team earned top-five school awards at every event and achieved two 2nd-place finishes along with nine Top 20 team placements. Highlights included a 1st-place win by Ella N., Philip R., and Jack M. at LILA, and additional top finishes at Poly. Individually, Jack M. and Ella N. led with multiple top speaker awards, contributing to nine total Top 20 speaker recognitions. The team closed the season with 49 wins and a 50% overall win rate, with experienced teams posting an impressive 72.5% record.
LILA Gazette
The LILA Gazette, a Burbank student-run newspaper, was nominated for the second year in a row for “Best High School News Website” at the Southern California Journalism Awards. Most notably, 12th grader, Thomas C., was nominated for the “Best News Writing, off campus” category thanks to his story on the elections in Germany.
IB Junior & Senior Art Exhibition
An annual tradition, juniors and seniors in LILA’s IB programme showcase their work to their families and the LILA community in an actual gallery. Building out their portfolio is part of the IB arts curriculum; it is the fruit of months of thoughtful work and commitment all guided by our Visual Arts Teacher, Francois Paire.
Model UN
60 young LILA delegates took to NYC for the largest Model UN conference in the world. They were tasked with stepping into the roles of delegates representing nations from all across the globe. Students and staff enjoyed a session where former President Joe Biden spoke.
Eco-délégués
The Eco-Delegate program was introduced for elementary Cycles 2 and 3 as part of the French Ministry of Education’s E3D program (École/Établissement en Démarche de Développement Durable: Institution Undertaking Sustainable Development). Many of the requirements of becoming an E3D school were already being met by LILA across our campuses, however, one key part is missing: fostering student engagement. The eco-delegates, two per grade from grades 1-5, were elected to advocate and help improve the quality of life in class and at school.
Poetry Awards at West Valley
LILA West Valley students participated in the 2024 French Poetry Contest organized by The French American Cultural Society (FACS) and the French Heritage Society, with support from the Consulate General of France in San Francisco. The contest welcomed entries from students in kindergarten through high school across the United States, Canada, the French Overseas Territories, and Mauritius. West Valley students demonstrated exceptional talent, winning seven prizes, including the 1st Prix d’Excellence! Here are the remarkable results:
- 1er Prix d’Excellence: Ana-Paula S. (“Bon comme les bonbons” and “La vie d’une balle de tennis”), guided by Prof. Clémence Debusschere.
- 3eme Prix d’Excellence (ex-aequo): Moyenne Section (Kindergarten class project), led by Prof. Benoit Smette.
- 1er Prix Grande Section: “Les aventures d’une poule” by the Grande Section (Kindergarten class project), guided by Prof. Benoit Smette.
- 2eme Prix (ex-aequo): Ana-Paula S. (“Bon comme les bonbons” and “La vie d’une balle de tennis”), guided by Prof. Clémence Debusschere.
- 3eme Prix CE1 (ex-aequo): “L’amitié” by the CE1 class, led by Prof. Michèle Lhuillier.
- 3eme Prix CE2: “Maman” by Oscar R., guided by Prof. Véronique Nuta.
- 3eme Prix CM2: “Les enfants des rois” and “Un monde emmêlé” by Max E., guided by Prof. Audrey Sebastiao.
New Website & Parent Portal
After two years of work, LILA was proud to unveil its brand new website in April 2025. Truly a labor of love that involved work and input from staff, trustees as well as parents, the website captures who LILA is today but also leaves room for who we will be going forward.
Beyond creating a shop window for LILA’s incredible programs, the website now also features a much-needed Parent Portal, where families and staff can easily access all the resources needed in a school’s day-to-day…ultimately, making things a bit easier for our busy community of parents.
Academics & College Acceptances
LILA Introduced the MYP Programme
In middle school, students may now either continue their French-English bilingual program or begin the International Baccalaureate® Middle Years Programme (MYP) for grades 6–10. This inquiry-based, interdisciplinary program cultivates critical thinking, creativity, and global citizenship, with the middle school years (MYP 1–3) laying the groundwork for high school success.
Through globally focused, real-world learning, students explore themes such as identity, culture, sustainability, and innovation while developing key Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills in research, communication, collaboration, and self-management. A hallmark of the program is the individual learning project—a student-driven exploration that fosters independence and reflection.
Building on its strong IB foundation, LILA is now a candidate for MYP certification, continuing to prepare confident, globally minded learners ready to thrive in high school and beyond.
International Baccalaurete (IB)
French Baccalauréat (FB)
Diplôme National de Brevet (DNB)
National Merit Scholar
The LILA team also wants to acknowledge the fantastic achievement of Madeleine C. in 12th grade who is now a National Merit Scholar and will be attending UCLA to study engineering.
2024-25 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
In Spring 2025, 12th grader, Aidan L., won the Gold Key award for Bug in the Brain. Over 7,000 students from the LA area participated in the awards, put on by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the Los Angeles Unified School District, and the Los Angeles County Office of Education. Congratulations Aidan!
College Destinations around the Globe 2025
United States:
– Bard College
– California Institute of the Arts
– CSU Northridge
– Cal Poly Humboldt
– Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
– Chapman University
– Glendale Community College
– Loyola Marymount University*
– New York University*
– Pasadena City College
– Pratt Institute
– Santa Clara University*
– Tufts University*
– UC Berkeley (2)*
– UC Davis (2)*
– UCLA (5)*
– UC Irvine*
– UC Riverside*
– UC Santa Barbara*
– UC Santa Cruz*
– University of Colorado Boulder*
– University of Pennsylvania*
– University of Southern California*
– Wellesley College
France:
– Ecole Nationale de Commerce
– Institut Francais de la Mode
– Parsons Paris – The New School
– Sciences Po
– Vatel University
Europe:
– Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherlands)*
– IE University (Spain)
– KU Leuven (Belgium)*
– TU Delft (Netherlands)
– University College Dublin (Ireland)
– University College London (UK)*
Canada:
– Concordia University
– McGill University *
*indicates recognition as a top 100 global or US university by U.S. News and World Report
Community Highlights
Events
With a school our size (more than 1,000 students and 700+ families), there are many events designed to build community, inform and educate families, appreciate family contribution to the School community, and fundraise. In 2024-25 alone, LILA played host to 191 events school-wide. A big thank you to the volunteers and staff who help bring these important events to life!
Trips
Every year, students on all four campuses are involved in overnight trips around the globe. Indeed, just in 2024-25, students went to France, Costa Rica, Greece, Canada, and more. These trips are an integral part of introducing our students to the world around them… a key part of the LILA mission.
Annual Fund
Once again, volunteers on all four campuses came together to help the School raise money toward the Annual Fund. A big thank you to our volunteers and donors who helped us reach $682,000!
Financials
A big merci to all of our volunteers!
Board of Trustees
– Yvonne Alvardo
– Secil Baysal
– Chantal Morgan D’Apuzzo
– Jean-Luc De Fanti (Chair)
– Sharyn Kerr
– Santosh Kookal
– Minh Le
– Dorinda Marticorena
– Ani B. Packard
– Reena Patel
– Caroline Pham
– Peter Schubin
Trustees Emiriti
– John D. Mickus
– Adam M. Weisman
Burbank
– Sabra Goodman
– Veronica Hoomani
– Eden Miller
– Suzanne Black
Los Feliz
– Caroline Adler
– Sophie Bentolila
– Samantha Weisman
– Shiloh Filin
– James Bulliard
– Melody Jiggets
Pasadena
– Jeanne Roué Taylor
– Michel Ingham
– Viktor Raskin
West Valley
– Katie Cronin
– Magguie Nguyen
– Joel Serrano
Burbank
– Jenni Clark
– Pat Hadnagy
– Helen Hamber
– Gabrielle Pascoe
– Cristal Ricci
– Karen E. Todd
– Nick Zgradic
Los Feliz
– Michelle Alexandria
– Megan Baade
– Steve Belvilus
– James Bulliard
– Jessica Valdez Cantor
– Michelle Chila
– Monet Corso
– Amanda Marshall
– Jordan Monsanto
– Rob Novickas
– Michelle Pellegrino
Pasadena
– Brigid Grant
– Amelia Tang
– Jessica Witlox
West Valley
– Christopher Ahuja
– Fatou Balde
– Beatrice Mondange
– Lahmar Sabrina
GALA Co-Chairs
– Jane Ropell
– Sara Sedlacek
Performers & People Who Made the Evening Special
– Marley Best
– Ian Brennan
– Marie & Bruce Driscoll/Freedom Fry
– David Othenin-Girard
Auction
– Sarah Stephens
– Livia Tortella
Event Production
– Steve Allison
– Gus Helgerson
– Shawn Sedlacek
– Ryan Smith
LILA Endowment Video Cast
– Patrick J. Adams
– Bax B.
– Frances B.
– Anouk C.
– Arlo C.
– Edie-Lou E.
– Alma F.
– Anneli Harvey
– Rowan K.
– Selene K.
– Kavi P.
– Max R.
– Valentina R.
– Edison S.
– Luca S.
– Oliver S.
– Ava T.
– Brett T.
– Beckett W.
LILA Endowment Video Crew
– Jennifer Brian
– Enrique Del Rio
– Joke Fincioen
– Kim Gehrig
– Helen Hamber-Rhys
– Jasper Harvey
– Abe Levy
– Biagio Messina
– Kara Petreccia
– Jane Ropell
– Adrea Rose
– Silver Tree
– Janet Urban
– Jeff Vespa
– Nick Zgradic
LILA Student Ambassadors
– Ela Baysal-Goepfer
– Scarlett Bowen
– Alison Goodman
– Anissa Hadnagy
Content Providers– Dina Benadon
– Emma Brodie
– Stella Chapple
– Manuel Martinez
– Tristan Ruscha
– Livia Tortella
– Natalia Theard
– Scarlett Ropell
– Xanti Oteiza
Burbank
– Dana Cascella
– Cat Chiang
– Jenni Clark
– Shiloh Filin
– Helen Hamber Rhys
– Marjan Khorsandi
– Joanna Hess
– Julie Ly
– Olivier Mouroux
– Gabrielle Pascoe
– Cristal Ricci
– Jane Ropell
– Marise Samitier
– Angelica Vale
Los Feliz
– Lara Aboumalhab
– Deborah Afshani
– Emily Alpren
– Courtney Ballard-Searcy
– Eva Behrend
– Patryce Belvilus
– Jed Berk
– Ashley Boardman
– Lesley-Ann Brandt
– James Bulliard
– Kat Catmur
– Jessica Cantor
– Kalli Clark-Sternberg
– Giovanna Colson-Basurto
– Kanika Corely
– Monet Corso
– Amy Del Rio
– Megan Eimerman-Wallace
– Federico Enriquez
– Mary-Alice Farina
– Veronique Fauchere
– Natalia Fernandez
– Laura Francis
– Carla Furey
– Pablo Gomez-Castro
– Deepa Janha
– Jen Johnson-Bell
– Layal Khoury-Reid
– Octavia Klein
– Alex Krispin
– Amanda Marshall
– Alexandra Meldal-Johnson
– Diana Moutsopoulos
– Maite Muñoz
– Ash Novickas
– Max Osswald
– Adrea Teasdale
– Eugenia Tempesta
– Rhodri Thomas
– Alice Toyonaga
– Kelly Pangell
– Elle Pellegrino
– Natalie Pointu
– Suzanna Rees
– Sibel Roman
– Jeremy Roth
– Leigh Scott
– Bea Sequeira
– Camille Solari
– Martijn Veltman
– Angelica Vale-Padron
– Jeff Vespa
– Antonia Ward
– Daphne Wermenlinger
– John Winter
Pasadena
– Caroline Beaurin
– Shauna Chevalier
– Denis Duvauchelle
– Kristen Harrington
– Lauren Mackler
– Laura Heian
– Amelia Tang
– Christopher Taylor
– Rachel Wee
– Nicole Winner
West Valley
– Carla A.
– Ivan Ablakhat
– Christopher Ahuja
– Ayanna Alexander-Laine
– Jennifer Audeon
– Maud Beltran
– Alexis C. Jolly
– Stefanni Cisneros
– Ana Guseva
– Kathryn Kuznitsky
– Sabrina Lalani
– Anna Maass
– Cate Rocheron
– Anne Verdier
Adoptive & Surrogate Family Group
– James Noel and Louis Matthews
Asian Affinity Group
– Ivy Gao
Black Affinity Group
– Siwatu Moore
Cultiver, v: to cultivate: Nurturing spaces for allyship to grow.
– Marguerite de Bourgaing
Español + LatinE Affinity Group
– Natalia Fernandez & Julia Fontana Bassos
Jewish Affinity Group
– Samantha Weiseman
LGBTQ+ Affinity Group
– M’Alyssa Mecenas & Susan Bush
Parents of Neurodiverse Children Group
– Jeff Vespa
Private School Village Parent Ambassador
– Jadolphus Fraser
– Al Shuckburg
– Alana Cuzor
– Alana Ward
– Anabella Casanova
– Andrea Bidart
– Angelique Cinelu
– Angelique Seals
– Annabella Casanova
– Antonia Ward
– Beatrice Mondange
– Brooke Lyones
– Brydie O’Neill
– Candace & Sacha Ben Haroche
– Carla Moran
– Carrie Tayour
– Chris Goodman
– Claudine Kushner
– David and Ashley Guttman Aull
– David Glass
– David Yon
– Don Donnelley
– Eden Riegel
– Emma Friend
– Fiona Loewi
– Francois Morissette
– Gordon Wille
– Ian Brennan
– Ivan Ablakat
– James Bulliard
– James Noel
– JD Gardiner
– Jeanne Taylor
– Jeff Vespa
– Jennifer Johson
– Jodie & Lyle Baker
– Joke Fincioen
– Josey Bowes-Little
– Josey Edward
– Kalli Shuckburg
– Kara Petreccia
– Karen Todd
– Karine Theard
– Kate Lloyd-George
– Kathleen Lett
– Katie Lloyd George
– Kelley and David (JD) Vanderwalle
– Kouros Etemad
– Latif Tayour
– Laura Francis
– Lindsay Raffaele
– Luz Silvestri
– Marguerite de Bourgoing
– Marise Samitier
– Max Cuzor
– Megan & Robert Maita
– Melissa Rundle
– Michaela Dosamantes
– Michelle Cardno
– Nadine Bonnet
– Neal Lett
– Pat Hadnagy
– Robert Maitia
– Rory Haines
– Ryan Mattie
– Sam Enoch
– Sara Sedlacek
– Sarah Stephens
– Shawn Sedlacek
– Sibel Roman
– Somaya Etemad
– Sophie Gransard
– Sophie Yon Gharbi
– Susan Bush Mecenas
– Suzanne Black
– Tamika Nelson Glass
– Trilby Glover
– Veronica Hoomani
– Viktor Raskin
– Violeta Corcia family
IB Ambassadors
– Emilienne B.
– King C.
– Simone C.
– Zachary J.
– Alessandra K.
– Mohun K.
– Gianna T.
FB Ambassadors
– Ynes A.
– Rio B.
– Gisele E.
– Calypso G.
– Garrett G.
– Luis S.
– Mizuki T.
– Caroline Adler
– Mina Asghari
– Courtney Ballard
– Bambi Bambrogan
– Lily Batum
– Sophie Bentolila
– Jennifer Bernhardt
– Suzanne Black
– Ashley Boardman
– Raquel Bolleau
– Natalia Bonifacci
– Valerie Braimah
– Isabella Buenfil
– James Bulliard
– Kat Catmur
– Tracy Chamboredon
– Olivia Ciummo
– Cat Chiang
– Kalli Clark Sternberg
– Denise Crayne
– Katie Cronin
– Natacha Donoghue
– Renild Dsouza
– Cynthia Eskew
– Shereen Farzin
– Shiloh Filin
– Joke Fincioen
– Laura García
– JC Gardiner
– Marie Gelot
– Gwenaëlle Gobe
– Sabra Goodman
– Sophie Gransard
– Sara Guerra
– Katayoun Hajiannia
– Lauren Healy
– Veronica Hoomani
– Brian Hwang
– Michel Ingham
– Melody Jiggets
– Milla Jovovich
– Marlene Kalouyan
– Sakshi Khurana
– Octavia Klein
– Gary Kosman
– Geoffrey Loisel
– Sidonie Loiseleux
– Gabrielle Pascoe
– Nora Mansour
– Lekha Mettu
– Eden Miller
– Beatrice Mondange
– Magguie Nguyen
– Brydie O’Neill
– Syuzi Pakhchyan
– Lindsay Raffaele
– Viktor Raskin
– Tristan Rault
– Jane Ropell
– Jeanne Roué Taylor
– Caroline Ruszkowski
– Sabine and Courtney Scott
– Sheila Scott
– Sara Sedlacek
– Joel Serrano
– Sophea Siek
– Lucas Sloan Carter
– Veronie Small
– Sarah Stephens
– Carrie Tayour
– Karen Todd
– Livia Tortella
– Angelica Vale
– Jeff Vespa
– Samantha Weisman
– Nick Zgradic
