Boosters tour Ánimo James B. Taylor, meet with students and teachers

Livetours resumed with the visit of friends and boosters of the Green Dot Public Schools network at Ánimo James B. Taylor Charter Middle School (AJBT) in Watts, a Los Angeles neighborhood long served by our schools..

Principal Tiana Diggs and Assistant Principal Naomi Yokota led the visitors, who toured the school facilities in South Los Angeles, visiting Project Lead The Way classrooms as well as science and ancient civilization classes. They also examined an adjacent plot which will be used in the near future to expand the facilities of the middle school.

“Ánimo James B. Taylor has a wonderful story to tell and I, along with the rest of the Taylor family, are thrilled to be among the messengers,” said Ron Taylor, son of the late educator for whom the school is named.

The visitors also had a question-and-answer session with students and teachers, who shared their goals and touted their success in their different areas of study. The tours are designed to let friends and boosters of Green Dot Public Schools view the progress achieved in the historically disadvantaged communities served by the school.

AJBT was founded in 2013 and is named after James B. Taylor, one of L.A. Unified School District’s first Black principals. Taylor served as the first principal of Locke High School-now operated by Green Dot Public Schools-and brought an innovative approach to public education by integrating college students and college professors into the classroom. He was considered a great advocate for a public school system that serves all students.