In the 23 years that Ron Reeves has taught at Wenatchee High School, he has commonly been described as the guy who looks like a drill sergeant and certainly a man who means business on the outside, but is that really who he is?

“He looks like a strict teacher, but he’s just a big teddy bear,” said senior Bailey Cemensky. “He gets everybody pumped up and super excited to do things. He makes PE fun.”

Reeves has his classes play games and do alternative exercises, which allows his students to workout and enjoy the activity at the same time.

He likes to joke around with students and takes time to familiarize himself with each individual’s strengths and weaknesses. When he knows where his students need improvement, he helps them become stronger. It is because of this drive and his military-style crew cut that students often think Reeves was once in the armed forces.

“I think that’s a stereotype people have because of my haircut,” said Reeves.

Reeves attended the University of Puget Sound after spending his freshman year at the University of Washington. He was always interested in history, especially archaeology,  although he ended up graduating with a bachelor of arts in business.

In fact, he traveled to Egypt with one of his classes for a week during his junior year. The trip turned into a rather funny story when the professor gambled all their money away and abandoned them in Egypt. He has shared this ordeal many times with his history classes at WHS. Reeves found out some years later that the very professor who left his class in Egypt had a child out of wedlock and that child was Steve Jobs.

However, Reeves found that archaeology wasn’t his forte and changed his mind again and again about what he wanted to do after college. Reeves graduated from UPS in 1976 with a degree in business. He then spent two years coaching football at UPS, as the linebacker coach, and working for the Pierce County Commissioners office.

He then moved to San Diego to be on the beach and work in sales, but he went back to UPS to coach another two years of football and get his teaching certification.

“When our playing days are finished, some people are lucky enough to become coaches and pass on what they learned from their mentors,” said Reeves. “This was the path of opportunity for me.”

He started teaching social studies in 1982 at Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma, which combined his passion for history with his love of coaching.

Reeves said the best part of teaching is just being around the kids.

“It’s cool to witness the growth of kids from ninth grade to 12th grade,” said Reeves. “A big part of our job is to get them ready to be citizens of the world. There’s a lot more to know than just the facts.”

Another unknown fact about Reeves is that he plays the guitar and was once in a band.

“It was a C- country band with some guys from Bellarmine,”said Reeves. “We played a few gigs and had fun.”

Reeves said the guy who was the bass player in his band was the bandleader at Bellarmine and used to be in the band Heart just before it went big.

He’s a big believer in putting your all into everything you do and making the most of what you have.

Reeves said his motto and favorite quote is: “Integrity is doing what’s right when no one’s looking.”

“Be honest,” said Reeves. “Be honest with yourself. Be honest with others.”

Cemensky and Reeves’s other students said he’s the kind of teacher that gets to know his students on a personal level and motivates them to be the best they can be.

“He pushes you to do better,” said Cemensky. “He tells you pretty much to never give up. Even if you’re at your weakest point, he encourages you to do more.”