History of Animo Jefferson
Have you ever wondered about Animo Jefferson’s past and what it was like long before you attended the school? From interviewing investigations teacher Carl Finer, I learned that the school opened in 2010. When it opened it wasn’t a sixth, seventh and eighth grade school. When the school first opened, it taught only sixth graders. Then the school added a grade each year until the school was full.
A fun fact that you probably didn’t know is that before Animo Jefferson opened, there was another school in the same location called Animo Justice High School. Animo Justice was shut down, so Green Dot put Animo Jefferson in its place. Animo Ralph Bunche was a high school that had been there before Animo Jefferson opened. Both Mr. Flota and Ms. Ramos worked at Animo Justice before Animo Jefferson.
The school has changed a lot over the years. For example, the school used to have a merit and demerit system and students used to wear lanyards with merit and demerit cards in them, but now the school uses Liveschool. Mr. Finer also told me Mr. Carbajal started as a history teacher and then became an assistant principal. Math teacher Mr. Lo and special education teacher Ms. Iglesias have also been at the school since it opened in 2010.
Another of my sources was the school website. The Green Dot article I read was about why they opened the school. Green Dot wanted eighth graders to successfully go to high school and get them ready for college.
Animo Jefferson is that it is not a LAUSD school but its a public charter school run by of Green Dot. Green Dot was founded in 1999 and they opened high schools because almost 50 % of students in the neighborhood were not graduating. When Green Dot first started it just opened to ninth graders and only taught 140 students. Now there is around 14,000 thousand students in Green Dot schools in through Los Angeles, Texas and Memphis, Tennessee.
Eduardo • Aug 29, 2022 at 2:01 pm
I am surprised because I did not know that Green Dot opened because 50% of students were not graduating.
Uzziel Mateo • Oct 7, 2021 at 8:39 am
My brothers went to Animo Justice. I think its cool how I’m going to the predecessor of it after all these years.
Nancy Pineda Quinones • Apr 26, 2021 at 8:35 am
I think it is really interesting how our school only taught 6th grade and then later began to let more grades in i find it really fascinating how there was also another school there before as well as how the school has teachers that used to work at that school that was there before Animo Jefferson.
Katelyn saucedo • Apr 26, 2021 at 8:28 am
well when they talked about merits and how before they use to have in in cards and stuff like i just remember because 4 people from my family went to that school when i was younger and i think its good now that use live school because they said whenever they went they had to where it in order for the staff and people could who they were but i do find it that it is now easier because you don’t just have to go up to the and hole punch there card if they do have a demerit.
Oscar Gomez • Apr 26, 2021 at 8:27 am
I have wondered what it was like i kinda wonder if in the past there where lots of teachers. I wonder what the school looked like in the past.
Christopher Garcia • Apr 26, 2021 at 8:25 am
This is really cool because it shows how the school has evolved and where it stretches out.