Axxess CEO John Olajide served as the “Principal for the Day” at the Kennedy-Curry Middle School in Dallas. The Principal for a Day is a project of the Dallas Independent School District that brings community leaders into schools across the district. The program, also sponsored by the Dallas Regional Chamber, is designed to:
- Increase awareness and understanding among individuals in the private sector of the strengths and challenges of schools in the Dallas ISD,
- Demonstrate the private sector’s commitment to ensuring a quality public education for all students, and
- Form ongoing partnerships between individuals/businesses and Dallas ISD.
Honored to be a part of the project, John Olajide reported for duty at the Kennedy-Curry Middle School early on October 14, 2014, to get the day started. As Olajide shadowed Principal Dennis Taylor around the facility, it became clear that the school, which educates some 800 students, is well-managed with a structured setting that emphasizes positive culture, student achievement and high quality instruction.
Kennedy-Curry Middle School has a rich history and is named after former U.S. President John F. Kennedy and former president of Bishop College Dr. Milton K. Curry. Kennedy-Curry Middle School Principal Taylor has an engineering background and is a former executive in corporate America. He has successfully transitioned from corporate America to academia.
“My passion is educating our kids; and I want to expose them to all the opportunities that are out there,” says Taylor. Olajide and Taylor are proud alumni of the University of Texas at Dallas; and both share a passion for public education. “I have a lot of respect for Principals and the work they do. It is very similar to being a CEO and running a business,” says Olajide.
Today’s children will be running the world in the not too distant future. “I’m looking forward to partnering with Taylor and the staff at Kennedy-Curry to develop ways of exposing these children to a world of possibilities and opportunities,” says Olajide.