Meet Our Principal

Hello Constellation scholars, parents, and school community,

My name is Angela Carter Rodriguez and I am proud to lead Animo Mae Jemison Charter Middle School.  As a first generation college graduate, a proud mother of six wonderful children, and a lifelong educator, my goal is to provide a safe, equitable, rigorous, 21st century education to the scholars of AMJ.

As your principal, I commit to keep you informed to our evolving reality.  It is my job to keep our constellation safe and provide the most rigorous academic program 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 AMJ and we consider you an essential part of our family.  As a parent myself, I know that it takes a village to provide the best educational experience for our children. I invite you to actively participate in our school activities through our Coffee/Pizza with the principal, school committees and programming, while actively engaging with your child’s education especially during distance/hybrid learning.

At AMJ 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/or 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 to define our path to get there. If you are new to the Animo Mae Jemison family, welcome, you have just entered into a very special place. A place where everyone believes in their heart that every child must be prepared for college, leadership, and life - and that this begins as soon as our students walk in 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