Ralston named Calhoun City Schools new Community Relations Director
Calhoun High School graduate and former teacher and coach, Kayla Ralston, will return home to Calhoun City Schools to take the reins as school and community relations director on May 2.
She will work closely with the current director, Jennie Coker, before she and her family relocate to Missouri. We’re certainly going to miss Jennie but know that she will help Kayla transition into this new role with ease.
Kayla served as the health and physical education department head for 4 years while coaching multiple sports. During this time, Kayla developed a love for graphic design while overseeing multiple social media platforms for various programs throughout Calhoun City Schools where she produced creative content to display student success and promote athletic programs. As head of department, Kayla played a key role in overseeing all expense requests including purchasing, payment and invoice collections for grades 6-12 health & physical education department. Kayla assisted with e-commerce website integration of The Nest (school store) to provide users the ability to purchase and customize products online. She also served as lead coordinator over the course of 10 years within Calhoun Community Education programs, directing and developing youth athletic programs; driving participation, involvement, and engagement.
In 2019, she entered the corporate/sales world, gaining exposure to the realm of digital marketing while managing relationships with clients and colleagues. She served as client manager for The Intersect Group and then transitioned to the sales development representative at Live Oak Construction Supply. After just 9 months, Kayla produced a strong pipeline, proactively identifying and qualifying business opportunities that included key stakeholders within the construction industry and was promoted to inside sales representative managing significant accounts. Kayla understands how to build relationships that make an impact throughout any industry, thanks to Capturing Kids’ Hearts training at Calhoun City Schools.
Kayla exemplifies the Calhoun City Schools’ mission of being a lifelong learner by continuing to follow her passion, completing her digital marketing certification through Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology) in February 2022. Kayla was one of the top students in the cohort, demonstrating proficiency in marketing strategy, SEO, paid ads, and analytics. Kayla is a Calhoun High Alumni, class of 2007, and holds a B.S. in Health and Physical Education and a minor in coaching from Kennesaw State University. Kayla has continued to stay heavily involved and supportive of Calhoun City Schools as a proud graduate and member of the community.
In her new role, Ralston will also oversee the Community Education program which includes after school care (KEEP), Driver’s Education, Defensive Driving, Jacket Jamboree, Tiny T-ball Youth League and summer camps. Calhoun City Schools would like to officially welcome Kayla Ralston home. Once a Jacket, always a Jacket.