Hainipi…

Sean: Hi everyone. Welcome to The BAGO Mic, powered by Student Voice, where students lead the way.

Trevor: We are students from Winnebago Public Schools broadcasting from the Winnebago Native American Reservation in Winnebago, Nebraska.

Honor: This podcast is created by us for the world.

Sean: Let’s start by introducing ourselves. My name is Sean.

Trevor: My name is Trevor.

Honor: My name is Honor.

Sean: Today’s episode is about leadership, opportunity, and helping students succeed. Before we begin, we want to share something we’re thankful for.

Sean: I’m thankful for my dog.

Trevor: I’m thankful for food.

Honor: I’m thankful for family.

Trevor: Today we are here with Superintendent Kamau Turner.

Honor: We wanted to interview Mr. Turner because of his leadership and his work helping students and schools grow.

Sean: Thank you for being here with us.

Mr. Turner: You’re welcome.

Sean: Now let’s get into it. Can you tell us about yourself and what a superintendent does?

Mr. Turner: So I’m from Oklahoma. I went to college here in Nebraska. That’s how I found out Nebraska existed. I went to York University for four years and played basketball there.

Then I started my educational journey in New Mexico. My first job was in San Jon, New Mexico, and I stayed in New Mexico for 21 years before coming to Winnebago.

A superintendent is the leader of your school district. They are in charge of personnel and finances.

To sum that up, my job is to make sure we have the money to provide a good education to kids, keep buildings updated, and do everything required by law to provide students with a quality education.

Trevor: Did you actually speak Spanish when you lived in New Mexico?

Mr. Turner: Not really. New Mexico is heavily Hispanic, so many people speak Spanish. I can understand some of it, but I never learned enough to speak fluently. Most of my time there was spent on the Navajo reservation, and New Mexico has a large Navajo population.

Honor: What made you want to become a school leader?

Mr. Turner: I don’t know if I originally planned on it. I wanted to coach basketball. That was my passion.

Through coaching, I learned that kids need more than basketball. Students ask questions and want advice. I realized I needed to focus on more than winning state titles and start helping kids.

That led me to earn my administrative degree, become a principal, and eventually become a superintendent. Another school heard about the work I had done and asked if I’d consider leading their district. I thought, let’s try it and see if we can provide students with something better.

Honor: So were you superintendent there before you came here?

Mr. Turner: Yes. I was superintendent in Roy, New Mexico before becoming superintendent here.

Trevor: Were you good at basketball or just decent?

Mr. Turner: I was really good at basketball.

Honor: Then why’d you quit?

Mr. Turner: Because in the early 2000s, playing overseas wasn’t going to pay as much as teaching. And everyone can’t make the NBA. A lot has to go right, and unfortunately I didn’t grow to 6-foot-9, because that probably would’ve helped.

Trevor: What were you like when you were our age?

Mr. Turner: I hate to say this, but I wasn’t a very good student. I was pretty naughty.

I was still a good person. I was good to my friends and people around me, but I didn’t focus on academics like I should have.

I grew up really poor, and honestly I was probably more worried about being hungry than learning sometimes.

I got lucky, made enough right choices, got through school, went to college, and that’s kind of how things worked out.

Honor: How naughty were you?

Mr. Turner: I remember being told I was one of the worst kids a teacher had ever had behavior-wise.

But I grew up. I got much better.

Sean: What is a typical day like for you?

Mr. Turner: A superintendent’s day is usually not planned.

You may start with a plan, but things come up constantly. Yesterday I had four things I planned to do first thing in the morning and I got to none of them because other things needed attention.

Sometimes that means staying late. I do work at home too.

After graduation last week, I stayed until 7:30 at night because I had things I couldn’t finish earlier in the week.

That’s part of the job.

Honor: Seven-thirty?

Mr. Turner: That’s not even my latest night.

Trevor: What’s your latest night then?

Mr. Turner: One o’clock in the morning here at school.

My latest ever was about 3:30 AM trying to finish something due Monday morning.

Honor: What was the last route call?

Mr. Turner: I don’t know. I’m not on the BERT team. They handle those things.

Trevor: What is your favorite part of your job?

Mr. Turner: Interacting with students.

My role now isn’t student-centered every day, so I don’t always get to be around students as much as I’d like.

But being around kids and talking with kids is my strength.

Honor: So you like coming to classes and stuff?

Mr. Turner: Absolutely.

I love talking with young people because you’re why we’re here. We’re here to help you do whatever you want to do in life.

Honor: What’s something challenging about leading a school district?

Mr. Turner: Getting everybody rowing the boat in the same direction.

My philosophy is we’re here to provide the best education possible so students can be successful wherever they want to go.

Not everyone shares the same vision or wants to put in the same level of work.

Sometimes leadership means making sacrifices and doing what’s right for students, even when it creates extra work.

Trevor: What makes Winnebago Public Schools special?

Mr. Turner: The students.

Students here make me feel welcome. They say hi. They talk to me.

I was down in kindergarten earlier today and got about fifteen hugs. Superintendents don’t usually get hugs.

Kids here are some of the best-behaved students I’ve been around, and I love being part of helping them grow.

Trevor: How can schools support the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and the community?

Mr. Turner: I think the more educated a population is, the better off they’re going to be.

The better we educate students, the better off they’ll be. And you guys are going to be future leaders of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.

I guarantee that somewhere in our school right now is a future chairman of the Winnebago Tribal Council.

Honor: What’s fun about being superintendent?

Mr. Turner: Getting to see kids grow and knowing decisions you made may help students have better opportunities and better lives.

Honor: Why is student voice important in schools?

Mr. Turner: Student voice is important because school is different now than when I was young.

Adults sometimes forget that.

Sometimes adults assume young people don’t know much because they haven’t lived as long, but that’s wrong.

You all understand what life is like now better than we do.

Honor: When you were naughty back in school, did they slap your hand with rulers?

Mr. Turner: In Oklahoma they still had paddles and corporal punishment when I was there.

Trevor: Did you get hit a lot?

Mr. Turner: No. When I lived in Milwaukee and Chicago they didn’t do that. By the time I moved to Oklahoma I behaved much better. One of my brothers definitely experienced it though.

Sean: They still do that?

Mr. Turner: We do not. No adult should be hitting a kid in school. We’re here to educate students.

Sean: What goals do you have for students in our district?

Mr. Turner: I want students proficient in math, science, English, and history.

I want you prepared for whatever path you choose.

If you want to be a carpenter, scientist, mechanic, teacher, or something else — you should leave here prepared.

And I want students to become good people because the world needs better people.

Trevor: What skills do students need for the future?

Mr. Turner: Math, reading, writing, and technology skills.

You need to know how to use computers because technology isn’t going away.

But one of the biggest skills is learning how to interact with people.

Knowing how to communicate and treat people well may take you farther than anything else.

Honor: Is our school going to get torn down?

Mr. Turner: No. Our school is still pretty new and in good shape.

One thing we do need in the future is more classroom space because we continue to grow.

Honor: When was the school made?

Mr. Turner: I’m not sure exactly.

But where the cafeteria area is now used to be outside. The school has changed a lot over time.

Trevor: What year did you come here?

Mr. Turner: I came during the 2022–2023 school year. This is my fourth year wrapping up.

Honor: What advice would you give students our age?

Mr. Turner: Take education seriously because it creates opportunities.

But also be kids.

You still need time to play and enjoy life.

Balance school and being a kid while learning as much as you can from adults trying to help you.

Honor: You can’t really be naughty in school because it messes up your education.

Mr. Turner: Yeah. You want to behave and focus.

Winnebago students are good kids. We just want to continue improving educationally, and we are improving.

We recently had our five-year review and reviewers said great things about the direction the school is going.

Honor: Do your brothers work here?

Mr. Turner: No. I have four brothers and they live all over — Georgia, Las Vegas, Lincoln, and Texas.

Trevor: Do you have a good relationship with them?

Mr. Turner: I do. We don’t see each other enough, but we’re close.

Sean: What does leadership mean to you?

Mr. Turner: Leadership means doing what’s necessary so the whole organization reaches its goals.

Sometimes leadership means saying no to one thing so you can say yes to something more important.

Sometimes leadership means making difficult decisions for the benefit of students.

Leadership is sacrifice for the common goal.

Honor: What was your original dream job?

Mr. Turner: First I wanted to be a baseball player.

Then I wanted to be an NFL player.

Then an NBA player.

Eventually I wanted to coach college basketball.

Trevor: How old are you now?

Mr. Turner: I’m 48 and turning 49 this year.

Trevor: Who inspired you growing up?

Mr. Turner: My mom.

She was a single mother and always pushed education even when life was difficult.

She made sacrifices and taught us education mattered.

Honor: What happened with your dad?

Mr. Turner: I knew him, but we didn’t really have a relationship.

He still lives in Chicago.

I’m not against reconnecting, but life moved forward.

Honor: What is something you’re proud of in your work?

Mr. Turner: At my previous district we became one of the top-performing schools in New Mexico.

Even during COVID and with new students coming in, we improved scores and outperformed schools people expected would beat us.

Sean: How can schools help students believe in themselves?

Mr. Turner: By challenging students.

Give students hard things to do and help them succeed.

When students overcome challenges, confidence grows.

Trevor: What hopes do you have for our community?

Mr. Turner: I want students graduating from Winnebago Public Schools to become leaders who continue improving the community.

Our community is growing.

Our school needs to continue improving too so students have even greater opportunities than previous generations.

Honor: What can students do right now to become leaders?

Mr. Turner: Start leading now.

Sometimes leadership means making choices different from your friends.

Good leaders do what’s right even when it isn’t popular.

Sean: What would you tell your younger self?

Mr. Turner: Choose friends wisely.

Your choices matter.

And don’t make bad decisions just because others want you to.

Trevor: Why does your work matter to the community?

Mr. Turner: Education improves lives.

Knowledge creates opportunity.

Helping students succeed helps communities succeed.

Honor: How can young people in our community change the world?

Mr. Turner: By taking action and bringing people together.

If something matters to you and enough people work together, change happens.

Sean: Thank you for sharing your time and story with us.

Mr. Turner: Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.

Honor: Your voice matters. Our story matters. And you matter.

Trevor: Thanks for listening to The BAGO Mic.

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