Ralston selected as next Troy High School principal

By Kyle McClellan The Western News

From Tuluksak to Troy, Jeff Ralston is taking his education expertise from one tiny town and bringing it 2,500 miles to one a bit larger.

A committee comprising educators and community members selected Ralston as the next Troy High School principal. He takes his position in August. He'll be moving from Tuluksak, Alaska — a town closer to Siberia than Montana.

But Ralston is familiar with the area. He has cousins living in Libby. He and his wife used to transport frozen food for a company called CR England. Their routes occasionally cut through the Kootenai Valley.

"It's our favorite area of the country," Ralston said.

Ralston's five years of administrative experience comprises three small schools in western Alaska. At Tuluksak, he oversaw 150 students and 16 certified staff members.

At Troy, Ralston will head a junior and senior high school with 240 students and 26 staff members.

"I'd like to work to establish the school as a community of people who care about each other and support each other," Ralston said.

According to his resume, Ralston received his master's degree from Western Washington University in 2001.

In its annual Best Colleges issue, U.S. News and World Report this year named Western Washington University the top masters-granting institution in the Pacific Northwest.

Ralston has a bachelor's degree in construction engineering from California Polytechnic State University. Starting in 1976, Ralston worked for various construction companies in the Seattle area as project manager and job superintendent. From 1984 until 1991, he was general contractor for Columbia Construction Co. in Seattle, where he worked on small-scale public works projects.

Ralston has earned various mathematical and engineering certificates and has undergone several math and science training seminars.

He and his wife race sled dogs and their 12 companions will also make the trip.