Schools
EPCHS Alum In The Spotlight: Ree McDonald, Class Of 1988
From star softball player and replacing a legend to becoming a beloved teacher, Ree McDonald's connection to EPCHS dates back to the 1980s.
EVERGREEN PARK, IL - Ree McDonald has been known as a dedicated teacher and coach to decades of Evergreen Park Community High School students, but her impact as a Mustang student and athlete herself cannot be overstated.
The 1988 EPCHS alum still holds the school record for most home runs in a softball season, belting 11 of them during her senior year. She was also named the school’s Female Athlete of the Year the same year after a high school career that saw her compete in volleyball, excel in basketball and stand out in softball.
“All of the friendships and life lessons that come with being a part of a team have benefitted me throughout my life,” said McDonald, a physical education teacher and former head softball coach in her 21st year as a faculty member at EPCHS.
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Softball was McDonald’s true passion, and it showed in the dominance the teams she played on exerted during the mid 1980s. The Mustangs finished 4th in state in 1986, compiling a 27-7 record. They were an Elite Eight team in 1987, going 23-9, and the 26-6 1988 season included the school record for consecutive wins.
McDonald was a star on those teams coached by the legendary Marilyn Wax, McDonald’s mentor whom she would eventually replace as head coach several years later.
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“I owe Coach Wax a ton of gratitude,” McDonald said. “She was instrumental in my success at both the high school and collegiate level. She was extremely proud of me when I earned a scholarship to play softball at N.I.U., her alma mater.”
McDonald still holds a Northern Illinois softball record as well, totaling 40 wins in a single season for the Huskies. She also won Female Athlete of the Year at the DeKalb school in 1993.
Her return to EP came soon after, as McDonald started the freshman softball program and helped out with Wax’s varsity squad. When Wax retired after 32 seasons at the helm of the program in 2001, it was McDonald’s duty to replace a legend.
“Talk about having huge shoes to fill,” McDonald said. “It was certainly stressful trying to live up to her legacy.”
It didn’t show on the field, however, as McDonald maintained the program’s winning ways, going 137-95 for a .591 winning percentage over eight seasons.
Ultimately, McDonald chose her family over her softball family, stepping down as head coach in 2009.
“I struggled with mom’s guilt,” McDonald, the mother of two (Megan, now 18 and Emma, 16) and an 11-and-a-half year breast cancer survivor, said. “Sometimes, I would get back from an away game and my daughters would already have gone to bed. I felt awful for missing an entire day of their lives.”
While more than a decade removed from her head coaching role, McDonald remains a favorite among teachers at EPCHS. She’s been known to have “some of the cheesiest jokes ever,” EPCHS Activities Director Amy Kazin said, and provides the joke of the day in the school library.
“Laughter is the best medicine, so if I can provide a little comic relief, I take pleasure in that,” she said. “I get to work in a fun environment and share the value of staying active. We have the best staff, and my interactions with the students keep me hip and young at heart. At least I think I’m hip :)”
