Mr. Ralston: Science teacher and tennis coach

Story and Photo by Lily Temple – Assistant Editor

 

As most students at Lee’s Summit North may know, Brad Ralston is a science teacher here at LSN. But in addition to being a science teacher, he is a coach, a husband, a father and a friend. 

   Ralston has been teaching for 14 years, 13 of them being at LSN. When he was in college, he student taught for Mrs. Charpie and Mr. Gerding here at LSN. Both Ralston and Gerding remember their time together fondly. 

   “Mr. Ralston student taught with me years and years ago, and my first impression was it was ridiculous how much we had in common. So we both went to high school in Kansas City. We both played high school basketball. We both went to Mizzou. We both like just kind of a lot of the same kind of stuff so we got along really well. He’s a great guy, he’s really easy to get along with and kind of a go with the flow kind of guy and people like him,” Chris Gerding, science teacher, said. 

   “It was really great student teaching for Gerding. Our personalities match up really well and he’s also a really great teacher so I really respect what he does in the classroom,” Ralston said. 

   As well as now being colleagues, Gerding and Ralston are friends outside of school. 

   “You know we get together every now and then. Me and my wife and he and his wife, we went out the other night and you know hung out did a double date kind of thing. But we hang out, we watch Mizzou games together and we’ve gone to Royals games and a few Chiefs games together,” Gerding said.

   Ralston teaches a few different kinds of classes at LSN including AS Biology, Principles of Biomedical Sciences, ACT Prep, and Science of Nature. One of his students Annika Fleury, a freshman in one of his Principles of Biomedical Sciences classes, had nothing but nice things to say about Ralston as a teacher and really, as a person. 

   “He seems to really care about people. He always tries to find a way to make people happy and he helps everyone,” Fleury said.

  One of the other roles Ralston fills is an assistant tennis coach at LSN. Ralston has been coaching for three years. After taking a short break from coaching, he returned to the sport this year. Fleury plays tennis so she gets to have Ralston as a teacher and as a coach.

   “Ralston is a very supportive coach and teacher. I like having him for both because when you’re in the classroom, it’s more of a personal relationship,” Fleury said.

   Students at LSN have been lucky to have someone like Brad Ralston as their teacher or coach and it is everyone’s hope that he will stay at LSN for many years to come.