Many teachers at Butler Traditional High School do more than just teach. Take Ryan Stephenson, for example. He teaches math and also coaches the Track and Cross Country teams.

Some might know Stephenson as the loud and tall ginger-haired man in the halls, while others know him as their motivating and uplifting math teacher. He is well-liked by students for his charisma and constant positive attitude.

Stephenson is 35 years old and grew up in Jeffersonville, Indiana, as well as Chicago, Illinois. He attended Maine West High School, where he ran Track and Cross Country. He later went on to attend National Louis University, where he majored in math.

While in college, Stephenson decided to take inspiration from his father and minor in secondary education: “My father had been in education my whole life, so I thought maybe I’ll just do what dad did.”

Stephenson added, “I’m so glad that I did that because I absolutely love it.”

He’s been teaching for twelve years now and has been at Butler for about four years.

If you are a student of his, then you know that he is loud, even if it’s seven o’clock in the morning. His massive energy is just a representation of how much he enjoys his job.

“I just get really excited about teaching. I can’t even help it; it just comes out of me naturally,” Stephenson said.

Some of Stephenson’s hobbies include playing pool, working out, and coaching. He is in a pool league where he plays in tournaments competitively. He admitted that he did not perform how he wanted to in his most recent pool tournament.

In addition to playing pool, he works out five to six days a week and spends a lot of time devoted to coaching Butler’s Track and Cross Country teams.

Some of Stephenson’s favorites include the following: the number 18, the color blue, science fiction movies “whenever like the world’s ending kind of deal,” and EDM music.

Be sure to say hi to Stephenson in the halls the next time you see him. Better yet, match his positive energy!