McKay Elementary’s New Principal Shares His Leadership Story

Principal Aundre Hayes recalls a memorable interaction when he was just starting out as the assistant principal of McKay Elementary School more than a decade ago. A former colleague recognized him at a fast food restaurant near the school and questioned what he was doing on the Southwest Side. After Mr. Hayes explained that he had accepted a new role as assistant principal at McKay, the former colleague asked him a straightforward question, “Why?” 

The question reflected McKay’s reputation at the time, including the fact that it was on probation. But Mr. Hayes saw potential from the start, so began working tirelessly to change what the school was known for. 

Under the leadership of former Principal Dawn Prather-Hawk, Principal Hayes and the rest of the McKay team implemented many robust systems and structures to better support the needs of the school community. The school now has a strong instructional leadership team that has spurred academic growth across the board. It also has a top-notch social-emotional learning team that has helped McKay develop a more nurturing and supportive culture and climate. 

“Having a leader like Dawn made the transition to principal a lot easier for me, and I feel like I have some seriously big shoes to fill,” he said. “What I admired about her the most was how she was able to command respect. Principal Hawk was able to get people on board to do what was needed as they began to accept the vision that she had for the school.” 

Principal Hayes describes his many years as an assistant principal as a behind-the-scenes role. Even though he had been a part of the McKay community for such a long time, he still didn’t know what to fully expect becoming the principal, and now the face of the school. When making this big transition, Principal Hayes viewed it as a passing of the torch. He already knew that he didn’t want to change too much. The systems that had been implemented over the years had been proven to be effective. Instead, he wanted to focus on just a few priority areas that will hopefully take McKay to even greater heights.

He enters the principal role having begun his career with CPS as a substitute teacher. He was born in Mississippi, and moved to Chicago with his family at a young age. Principal Hayes attended Pershing Elementary School in Bronzeville. He is also a proud CPS parent. His three children all attended Sutherland Elementary School in Beverly. The oldest and middle child went on to attend the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences and Jones College Prep respectively. The youngest is a senior at Kenwood Academy. And, on top of all the experience he brings to the role, Principal Hayes still receives much support from his colleagues. 

“I have two mentor principals who have been very good, and my former boss has also helped walk me through this transition process. My network chief has been extremely supportive as well,” said Principal Hayes. “I’ve been so blessed to have come across so many people in this system who have poured into me to help me get where I am today. Naming each of them would take all day.” 

By taking a data-driven approach to his work, Principal Hayes is able to identify what areas of his school need the most additional attention. And, this year, the data is loudly and clearly telling him to focus on academic supports for his kindergarten through second-grade students, in both literacy and math. Having been equipped with two interventionists, and a lead coach from the District, Principal Hayes is confident that he will be able to meet the needs of every student. 

“Doing our job is not always easy,” but Principal Hayes believes that he and other school leaders have an awesome responsibility to make CPS the premier school district in the nation. Now that he’s in charge at McKay, Principal Hayes is likely to start fielding more questions about what it takes to be a principal. His response reflects all the hard work he’s put in at McKay for so many years. 

“You have to learn how to be a good follower before you can be a good leader. That means being humble, being able to take direction, accepting constructive feedback on areas that need improvement, and doing whatever it takes to be successful,” he said. “I consider myself a servant leader, and even though I am in this new position that part of me hasn’t changed.” 

Happy Principal Appreciation Month! Celebrate your favorite CPS principal using the social media toolkit developed by our partners at the Chicago Public Education Fund.