Jermond Bonner is a dedicated basketball coach and head of security that has been at Central for eight years. He takes his jobs very seriously and values the importance of student-coach relationships.
Bonner is originally from Birmingham, Alabama. He moved to Omaha in 1994 during his seventh-grade year, attending Beveridge and Morton Middle School. He moved back to Alabama for his eighth-grade year, returning to Omaha to attend Central High School for his freshman year. He went back to Alabama again but returned to Omaha to finish out his high school years at Omaha South High School.
During his back and forth between Alabama and Omaha, Bonner participated in basketball from his seventh-grade year to senior year and played varsity for two years.
After high school, Bonner received a scholarship to Iowa Central Community College and NCAA Division II offers from Minnesota colleges. Bonner attended Iowa Central for two years before transferring to the University of Northern Iowa in 2005. He said that he wished he’d accepted one of the Minnesota schools instead, but he didn’t know better.
Bonner always knew he wanted to return to basketball. “It’s always been my passion. I grew up watching basketball, always had a love for the game, always knew it was something I eventually wanted to do,” he said.
He got his coaching certification during his first year of college. Soon after graduating in 2008, Bonner started getting involved in security and moved back to Omaha in 2010. He first worked at The Old Mattress Factory downtown then expanded to nightclubs and bars. He worked at bigger events like March Madness and University of Nebraska-Lincoln football games and worked for the College World Series for 10 years. Any local security event, he was there.
Bonner eventually made his way back to Central in 2017. He came into it wanting to coach, but he didn’t feel welcomed by the coach at the time. He was sometimes put to the side, so he took on head of security.
Bonner was against the stereotype that security guards do nothing. “We’re doing a whole bunch. I’m watching cameras all day, we’re checking doors; it’s a big responsibility,” he said.
Bonner also explained that he takes his job as security seriously because of Central’s size. Central has nearly 2,500 students, so he said that the safety of students is incredibly important. He wants to make sure everyone that should be in the building is and to look out for anyone suspicious.
Bonner joined the coaching staff not too long after the new boys’ basketball coach, Bruce Chubick Jr., joined the team. He asked Bonner if he wanted to continue coaching, as he knew that he had experience. Bonner said that he felt more welcomed by Chubick and accepted the opportunity.
Since his time at Central, Bonner said that he always felt the school was special because of its unique location downtown, excelling in academics, supportive foundation and alumni, as well as domination in sports. “I see kids that transfer or went somewhere else and they always say the same thing: ‘Mr. Bonner I should have never left Central.’ So, it kind of lets me know,” he said.
He feels that Central is the best school in OPS for its accomplishments and rich traditions. “It’s Champ High, I don’t know why you wouldn’t come to Central,” he said.
Usually, security guards are seen breaking up fights, which can be seen as a negative interaction between staff and students. Bonner said this is why it’s important for staff and students to build mutual respect between each other. He said that his job as a security guard and coach helped him do that. “I know the kids hate it, but I’m always giving them pep talks when they get in trouble and I can see the look on their faces…since I’ve been here, I’ve always built up a good rapport with the kids, so that means a lot to me,” he said.
He said that having mutual respect between him and the students stems from his authenticity, and he said that students notice this about him. He’s able to connect with students by having silly conversations and relating to their situations. Bonner grew up on 16th Street, so he always talks to students about right and wrong. “Kids want to know too, they want to be held accountable and that’s a big thing,” he said.
Outside of his busy life at school, Bonner says he likes to watch sports and vacation with his family. He tries to travel at least twice over the summer and goes out to have fun when asked, but he said that he’s mostly a home body since he works a lot.
