Our Team

Hello Constellation scholars, parents, and school community, 

Angela Carter Rodriguez and Melissa Annette Russell are proud to lead Ánimo Mae Jemison Charter Middle School as co-principals. As lifelong educators, our goal is to provide a safe, equitable, rigorous, 21st century education to the scholars of Ánimo Mae Jemison Charter Middle School.

As your principals, we commit to keeping you informed of our evolving reality. It is our job to keep our school safe and provide the most rigorous academic programs available. Our Constellation will “Rise Up” and advocate for social justice in the Watts and Compton communities.  Parents and guardians: please know that you are always welcome at Ánimo Mae Jemison Charter Middle School, and we consider you an essential part of our family. We know that it takes a village to provide the best educational experience for our students. We invite you to actively participate in our school activities through our Coffee/Pizza with the principals, school committees and programming, while actively engaging with your child’s education.

At Ánimo Mae Jemison Charter Middle School, we have dedicated and talented staff, serving approximately 540 students in grades 6-8.  We believe in meeting the needs of the whole child.  This includes a rigorous and engaging academic program that includes targeted intervention and enrichment built into the school day. We also have a daily advisory program that builds students’ social-emotional skills, academic habits, and college awareness.  

This vision embodies our mission as a school community. This vision articulates our hopes and dreams as a school community and helps define our path toward our destination. If you are new to the Ánimo Mae Jemison family, you have just entered into a very special place. A place where everyone believes that every child must be prepared for college, leadership, and life – and that this begins as soon as our students walk through our doors as 6th graders. A place defined by a social justice imperative to disrupt the narrative that says that students in our community will be defined by their zip code. Together, our Constellation will “Rise Up” and prepare our scholars to be the professionals, entrepreneurs, visionaries, social justice warriors, and leaders of the future.

In partnership,

Dr. Angela Carter Rodriguez  
Principal   

Ms. Melissa Annette Russell
Principal