Quentin Turner to lead Rainbow as Principal

MADISON – Madison Board of Education has selected Quentin Turner to lead Rainbow Elementary School as Principal.

“I’m committed to establishing and maintaining positive relationships with faculty, staff, parents and community stakeholders in order to build a foundation that will enable all students to continue high academic success,” Turner said. “Rockets, let’s SOAR!”

Turner graduated from Stillman College with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. He earned a master’s degree and educational specialist degree from the University of West Alabama. He completed certification in instructional leadership at Jacksonville State University.

For six years, Turner taught second-, third- and fifth-graders. In 2012, he became an Instructional Partner at Eastwood Middle and Central Elementary schools in Tuscaloosa City Schools, working closely with Alabama Best Practices Center.

In 2019, he started as Reading Coach in Madison County School System and worked at New Hope Elementary School. “In May 2022, I was named the new Assistant Principal at Midtown Elementary School. I learned a great wealth of knowledge through the day-to-day operations,” Turner said.

“My wife Erica and I have two wonderful sons. Landon attends James Clemens High School, and Locklin. We enjoy sports, traveling and spending time with family,” Quentin Turner said.

Turner fills the vacancy of Karl Fernandez, now working as MCS Assistant Coordinator of Accountability and Innovative Programs.

Turner has realized completion of Rainbow’s leadership team for the 2024-2025 school year. Kawanna M. Gardner, who has been Midtown’s STEM teacher, is Rainbow’s new MAAP (MAAP represents Madison Aspiring Administrators Program; the MAAP individual works with the assistant principal and principal).

After two years in Birmingham with pre-kindergarten, Gardner has taught for MCS since 2019. Previously, she worked for two years for Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education in Montgomery as an education specialist and 12 years as a classroom teacher at Cornerstone Schools of Alabama International Baccalaureate.

Rainbow Assistant Principal Tosha Swearingen is joining Gardner and Turner. Swearingen and her husband of 22 years, Kornelius, have three children who attend Madison City Schools.

Tosha Swearingen has been an Elementary Instruction Specialist for MCS since 2022 with past instructional experience at Mill Creek and Columbia elementary schools and a Lafayette, Ga. elementary school. She replaces Nedjra Russell who has moved to an administrative post at the Madison City Pre-Kindergarten Center.