Leaning into Purpose with Nebraska Administrators: Dr. Mike Lucas and Jason Alexander BY TYLER DAHLGREN

Leaning into Purpose with Nebraska Administrators: Dr. Mike Lucas and Jason Alexander

By Tyler Dahlgren, NCSA Communications Manager

This is the third of four installments of “Leaning into Purpose”, a series of sit-down conversations moderated by NCSA Communications Manager Tyler Dahlgren and ESU 5 Mental Health and Wellness Director Jen McNally with a revolving guest list of Nebraska administrators from rural and metropolitan districts across the state. We’ll jump into purpose, reflect on virtuous careers, and celebrate the administrators who make Nebraska’s schools so special.

It was a simple black and white pencil box, a serviceable yet entirely unspectacular piece of cardboard lugged off to school by thousands of students each day.

But for a 6th grade student named Jason Alexander, that pencil box was a life-changer. His aunt, a teacher, spoke glowingly about her profession and his father, a state patrolman, would talk about how he missed the boat, about how he wished he would have become a teacher. It was in the 6th grade, the pencil box days you could call them, when Alexander made up his mind on what he wanted to grow up and be.

“I knew I wanted to be a teacher,” he says without a trace of doubt nor regret. “I had great teachers. I had great coaching, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”

He kept that pencil box, not as a reminder of who he was, but as a symbol for who he was going to be. It was sturdy, just like his aspirations, and when Alexander stepped to the head of his first classroom (6th graders, ironically enough), the pencil box sat on his desk.

“I sat it on my desk that first day and said to my students, ‘If you ever need somebody to talk to, or if you ever have a question, you put it in this pencil box, and I will be there for you,’” Alexander remembers.

The pencil box is likely worn now, its exterior more banged up now than it was then, but its significance hasn’t waned for Alexander, now the Superintendent of Beatrice Public Schools. It probably never will. ***

It was a simple conversation between an accounting major from Florida and a professor named Olive Burns in the education offices at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.

ALEXANDER

It’s funny, Burns wasn’t a master persuader or anything. She didn’t have to be. When she spoke about education, she did so with her heart. And Mike Lucas discovered he spoke the same language. Even back then.

The two shared their conversation, Burns expressing the need for male role models in the world of elementary education. The message resonated with Lucas, a child of divorce who grew up in a single parent home. This was it. This was his passion. His path.

“By lunchtime, she had talked me into becoming an elementary education major,” Lucas says with a smile.

By age 25, Lucas had stepped into administration. He accepted his first principal job in small town Nebraska and the rest, as they say, is history. Well, living and breathing history, at least. Lucas is superintendent of Westside Community Schools now and one of the more recognizable faces in our state’s education arena.

It’s fitting for Lucas and Alexander to share this installment of “Leaning into Purpose”, because while neither’s story starts with a blindside, each of their journeys was propelled by one. Alexander taught the 6th grade and coached in Sargent for a decade before following his principal’s advice (and nudges) and taking the next step. He loved the Sandhills, the people he worked with, and the students he served.

“I just love school,” said Alexander. “I’ve always loved school. I loved going to school. I love being at school. I would work until two o’clock in the morning just because I didn’t want to leave.”

Leadership was the logical next step. Alexander received his Masters and headed to Burwell to begin his first administrative job. Elementary Principal. Or so he thought.

Those were the days of Class 1 Schools, and, unbeknownst to Alexander, Burwell was one of those Class 1 Schools, meaning he wasn’t heading northeast solely for a principal job. He was the superintendent, too.

“I interviewed in April, got the job in May, and by July, I was running a six-member school board on a one-million dollar budget,” Alexander said. “And I thought, ‘What the heck have I gotten myself into?’”

The principal duties came easy. Alexander was, and still is, a natural when it comes to working with teachers, students, and parents. The other stuff? Not so much. He spent two hours a day in Dan Bird’s office learning everything he needed to know about being a superintendent.

Bird became a mentor, and Alexander became a leader. He was there for six years before moving to Ord for 11 and then Beatrice.

“Every stop has been unique in its own way,” said Alexander.

“The thing that’s remained constant is the dedication of the people I’ve worked with. It just amazes me how committed our teachers are to the kids. They’re patient, not only with kids, but with a young administrator who had no clue what he was doing, who only knew he wanted to do the right thing. Those teachers helped me grow.” ***

Mike Lucas’ daily commute home from the elementary school in Fort Leavenworth was half an hour.

It was a warm day in May, the last day of school before the summer of ‘95 commenced, and Lucas smiled the entire way down Highway 73.

“I was thinking about all the fishing I was going to do and the softball I was going to play all summer long, so I had a permanent grin going on,” he remembers. “Then I pull up and my wife at the time says, ‘Hey, I signed you up for the master’s program at Benedictine.’”

That was a Thursday. Classes started on Monday. So much for summer, thought Lucas, who showed up on the first day

LUCAS

“I sat it on my desk that first day and said to my students, ‘If you ever need somebody to talk to, or if you ever have a question, you put it in this pencil box, and I will be there for you’”

—Jason Alexander

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Leaning into Purpose with Nebraska (continued from page 9)

with an admittedly bad attitude. Standing at the front of the class, however, was none other than Dr. Steve Joel, whose message landed much like Olive Burns’.

“By 11 o’clock, I wanted to be an administrator because Dr. Joel is so dynamic and can sell ice cubes to eskimos,” Lucas joked.

Dynamic salesman or not, it’s obvious that Lucas is far from a difficult sway when it comes to education. Like Alexander, he just loves school. Maybe it’s the former athlete in him, or maybe it’s his general collegial nature, one that’s unassuming and powerful at the same time. Whatever it is, Lucas was born to lead school districts. He’s right where he belongs.

“I love the teammate aspect of administration and leadership,” Lucas said. “Sometimes, I wish I would have taught and coached a couple more years, but I just fell in love with the ability to treat a building as a principal or a district as a superintendent as a team and having that same camaraderie and shared vision and goals that a college football team or a high school basketball team has. That’s been the driving force.”

Alexander and Lucas are similar, and not just because they each like to fish.

Two leaders, revered by their communities, who are entirely comfortable being out in front, not so much because they enjoy the spotlight, but because they’re proud to stand where they stand.

To represent the people they represent.

When Alexander walks in front of the student section at an Orangemen basketball game, the student section cheers like crazy.

When Lucas was working in tiny Franklin, Nebraska, he won three straight pig wrestling championships at the county fair. That says it all, doesn’t it?

“The lengths that they will go to to make somebody feel seen and heard are incredible,” said Jen McNally. “They both just see people.”

In just under 90 minutes, we threw the gamut at Alexander and Lucas, and, being the heavy hitters they are, our questions were smashed out of the park. To capture it all, we’d need more space. Perhaps a novel, or a series of novels, would do the pair justice, but even that’s a stretch.

Here are some of the highlights, starting with the two most important questions of them all.

“The lengths that they will go to to make somebody feel seen and heard are incredible.”

—Jen McNally

Q: This is Leaning into Purpose, so what is yours? What is your ‘WHY’?

Lucas: It sounds corny, but it's really the kids. We're in the opportunity business, and it's our job to create opportunities for our students. I love the servant-leadership aspect of what we get to do, because it's not only about kids in schools, but it's really about communities. That connection is so cool to me.

Alexander: My purpose in life has always been just to be a positive influence on the people I'm working with. And even as a superintendent, I don't feel like I've ever had people that work for me. I feel like I have people that I work with. And I just feel like my purpose is to work with people day in and day out, to leave the world a better place than what it was the day before. And, of course, all of that revolves around kids.

Some day when my journey is over, I just want people to know that I wanted their lives to be better. And sometimes that's hard, because you have to make tough decisions. But when it comes to kids, I just want people to know that I cared about kids. All kids.

Q: How much do you value your network of Nebraska administrators, the school leaders who will be reading this article?

Lucas: Being a superintendent can be lonely. It's important that we're there for each other, because unless you walk in those shoes, it's very difficult to ascertain all the things that we feel pressured about. I can't tell you how many times I reached out to friends and colleagues over conference calls or texts, just to make each other laugh, or to ask serious questions. That network is very important.

Alexander: There's not one of them that if I needed help, I couldn’t call, I couldn’t email, I couldn’t text. There’s not going to be judgment that comes with it, either. It's almost like a family in itself.

I almost can't put into words how important this network of administrators is, and how important it is to be part of that network. If you're willing to help them when they need it, they're never going to forget that. And then they turn around and help you when you need it. And trust me, there will be plenty of times you need help. Being a part of NCSA, and a part of the network of administrators that exists, is critical. ■

Favorite Restaurant?

JA: In Beatrice, I’m taking you to Classics, they have great burgers. Outside of Beatrice, that’s tough. I love a good piece of fish. Bone Fish would be good, or a fish market. ML: Big Mama’s Kitchen

Favorite Musician?

JA: Toby Mac for inspiration. Kenny Chesney. On the elliptical, it’s Def Leppard. ML: I’m a big country music guy who grew up in the South. Alabama is the greatest band of all-time.

Favorite Movie of all time?

JA: Top Gun ML: Braveheart

Favorite TV Show?

JA: Storage Wars ML: Friends

Stuck on an island with one author’s catalogue, who do you pick?

JA: Patricia Cornwell or John Grisham ML: Judy Blume. Remember, I used to teach third-grade. I read a lot about war generals and football coaches, too.

Favorite Hobbies?

JA: Fishing. Open-water or ice. It’s like Storage Wars, you know, you never know what’s on the other end of the line. ML: Fishing. Golfing. Hanging out with my grandson. Walking dogs. Lifting weights.

16th Annual NCSA Tailgate Party

September 17, 2022 - 8:00-10:30 a.m. Nebraska vs. Oklahoma

The NCSA staff is excited to welcome all NCSA members to join your colleagues at the NCSA parking lot before kickoff to talk Huskers over some great food and beverages! The fun starts at 8:00 and runs until 10:30.