Welcome
Message from Principal Emilie Leigh
I am Emilie Leigh, Principal at Will Rogers Middle School, and I am honored to welcome you to our school community. I would also like to introduce Ms. Esmeralda Rosas, who will be serving as our Assistant Principal.
We truly believe all students can be successful, and this belief drives the work they do on a daily basis. Our students are supported by a strong group of highly qualified teachers and staff. We put our students first and embrace a growth mindset as we support the whole child: academically, behaviorally, socially, and emotionally. Our school community supports students to be creative, productive, and thoughtful contributors to our local and global society. Through creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking, students become problem solvers and lifelong learners.
We encourage our parents, guardians, and families to stay connected and involved as parent engagement is essential for the overall success of our students and our school. Rogers offers various opportunities for parents to be actively involved with the school community such as School Site Council meetings and ELAC meetings, Back to School Night, Honor Roll assemblies, parent conferences, and parent workshops, and volunteer opportunities. We will send reminders on ParentSquare to all of our special events and meetings through the year as well as provide updates via our website and social media pages.
We look forward to continuing to partner with our families to ensure their children receive an exceptional educational experience. Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions, concerns, or input at any time. We are proud Panthers that Practice Safety, Act Respectfully, and Work Towards Success!
Respectfully,
Emilie Leigh
Principal at Rogers Middle School
Emilie Leigh
Principal at Rogers Middle School
Leadership Team
Principal Emilie Leigh
Emilie Leigh is the Principal at Will Rogers Middle School in the Lawndale School District. In this role, she is responsible for creating a schoolwide vision that is committed to creating a positive school culture where students feel safe, respected, and valued. She is passionate in creating equitable outcomes for all students where they are supported academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally to ensure their success.
Emilie Leigh is a Loyola Marymount University (LMU) graduate, where she received both her undergraduate degree and Masters in School Counseling. She has spent 23 years serving LESD as a teacher in both elementary and middle schools, a Middle School Language Arts Specialist, District Response to Intervention TOSA, an Interim Assistant Principal and currently Principal.
Additionally, Emilie Leigh is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Education at Loyola Marymount University.
Assistant Principal Esmeralda Rosas
Esmeralda Rosas is the Assistant Principal at Rogers. She has over 15 years of experience working in education serving as a general education teacher for 10 years in grades 3rd through 8th, as a school administrator for 5 years, and both as a Dean of Students and Assistant Principal in grades K-12th. Esmeralda was named the 2023 Educator of the Year at Aspire Pacific Academy and is a committed education advocate previously collaborating with Instituto Nacional de Lenguas Indígenas (INALI) to provide professional development to over 50 teachers of an indigenous community in Guerrero, Mexico. Esmeralda strongly believes in empowering teachers, parents, and students through shared decision-making processes and learning experiences that promote self- advocacy.
Mission Statement
Will Rogers' mission is to prepare students to become citizen leaders of the 21st Century. Rogers expects academic excellence from every student. We enable each student to maximize their potential through an outstanding educational program. Students are engaged in critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and communication in a standards-based curriculum. Rogers believes in project based learning with a focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Will Rogers Middle School is organized into small learning communities where every student is known, valued for their contributions, and nurtured.