Administrators

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.  Dr. Seuss

Hello, my name is Jamin McKenzie.  I am honored to be serving the Murray community as the principal. St. Paul and the Murray community have created a long standing tradition of excellence and opportunity at Murray that I hope to continue to share with every student that walks through our doors.

This will be my 23rd year in St. Paul Public Schools.  I served 11 years teaching middle school science at Battle Creek Middle school on the east side and then accepted an administrative position at Murray Middle school, which brings me to my twelfth year in this community.  Throughout the years, I have been very fortunate to learn from exceptional leaders, colleagues, families and students.  I am very lucky to be a part of an organization that so deeply supports its students and staff in growing toward success for all.

My family consists of my amazing wife, Lisa, and our twin children, Jadon and Belle.  When not in school, I enjoy supporting my kids with sports, spending time with my family, fishing, golfing and pursuing a passion for cars.

I am excited to get to know and work with our families and students as we continue our commitment in ensuring that all students are challenged and inspired to reach their full potential.  I thank you for sharing your children with our Murray community and look forward to seeing them learn and grow over their time here.

Welcome to everyone and....Go Pilots!

Principal Jamin McKenzie

Hello, my name is Michelle Bierman. I am excited to be at Murray Middle School as an Assistant Principal.

I am a proud Saint Paul resident and have been part of Saint Paul Schools for over 21 years.  I started as a high school teacher at Highland Park Senior High School teaching History of Americas, Civics, Asian Studies, African American History, and Economics.  I continued my work supporting social studies teachers at the district level, working in the teaching and learning department, and then racial equity and gender equity.  Most recently, I was the Assistant Principal at Open World Learning (OWL).

I graduated from Minnesota State University with a BS in Social Studies, University of St. Thomas with my Masters of Teaching, and University of Minnesota with my Administrator’s license. When I am not at school, my wife and I spend time with our nieces and nephews, dogs, and ride around town on our scooters.  Think Vespa.  I like to travel, read, kayak, and teach.  I teach as an adjunct professor at Metropolitan State University in their Urban Education Program.

My belief is that each student has many talents and gifts.  We, as adults, just need to get to know students, provide opportunities for them to be themselves, challenge each student academically, and add some fun into the mix to bring out the best in each student.

I am proud to be a co-pilot at Murray!  Please stop by and say hello.  I look forward to meeting our new families and students and welcoming back our current students and families.

Richard Terrell is a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is a father of 3 (Zyree, Raymond, and Vivian). He enjoys spending time with family, college sports, golfing, and reading.

Richard Terrell has over 15 years of experience working with schools, community engagement, and youth development.

He recently completed his time as the Interim Executive Director and School Principal at LoveWorks Academy for Arts in Minneapolis. Before that, he served as an Assistant Principal at Harvest Best Academy in Minneapolis, where he created an attendance initiative, provided management around behavior support, and increased family engagement. Before there, Richard Terrell worked with Eastern Carver County Schools for two years as an Intervention and Equity Specialist (Teacher on Special Assignment), working with students/families in academic support and coaching teachers on culturally responsive teaching, responsive practices, and innocent classroom. Before that, he spent six years working with Saint Paul Public Schools as an Intervention Specialist at Battle Creek Middle School and Parkway Middle School.

Richard Terrell earned a bachelor's degree in Communications from North Central University, Minneapolis, MN. He earned a master's of arts degree at the University of Northwestern, St. Paul. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership at Concordia University, St. Paul.

Richard Terrell is excited to be back working with Saint Paul Public Schools and serving at Murray Middle School.