By Shivm Mehta
This spring, East High School says goodbye to one of its most enduring and beloved educators: Ms. McDonald, who is retiring after 30 incredible years of service to the East community. For three decades, she has been a steady force in the halls, classrooms, and culture of the school–known for her adaptability, kindness, intellect, and unwavering support for students who may need more help than others.
Ms. McDonald began her career at East in 1995, and – remarkably – it’s the only school she has ever taught at. Her path to teaching wasn’t traditional. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from SUNY Plattsburgh, originally envisioning a future in the business world. However, something in business never quite clicked for her. “I really didn’t like the business world,” she recalls. “I always kind of wanted to be a teacher.”
It was a special relationship with a child who needed more support than most that helped Ms. McDonald realize that her calling was teaching. She would return to school, earning a Masters in Special Education from Buffalo State College, with a strong focus on teaching math, a subject that she always had a fascination with. For the next 25 years, she co-taught both Living Environment and Math, always tailoring her approach to meet the needs of the unique children that she worked with. “What I always did was adjust my teaching for my audience,” she says. “Every class is different. Every student is different.”
When Ms. McDonald started teaching here at East, she recalls the world being way different than it is today. There were no email accounts, no smartphones, and no online gradebooks. Everything was handwritten, and teaching looked very different than it does today. Reflecting over the way that East has changed over the years, Ms. McDonald is proud to be able to adapt and continue to help children regardless of the circumstances. “Nobody realized how quickly the world was changing,” she reflects. “Email was this brand-new, exciting thing.”
In addition to her work in the classroom, Ms. McDonald became a fixture in East’s extracurricular scene. As a Masterminds advisor, she built a community where students could shine academically in a fun,competitive setting. “It’s like Jeopardy with a team,” she explains. “It’s a great way for students to shine in an area outside the classroom in a speciality area. I never had anything like that in my own high school.” Ms. McDonald also served as a Student Council advisor for many years, helping to guide student leadership.
Outside of school, Ms. McDonald has lived a life just as full. She is an avid gardener and loves to gold in her free time. As she enters retirement, she looks forward to gardening, traveling, and spending time relaxing and golfing. “I want to free my mind of work-related tasks. Just enjoy that I finally have time,” she says. “Working on my golf game is a big goal now.”
What she’ll miss most, though, isn’t the calendar or the classroom–it’s the people. “My department is my second family,” she says. “It’s work, but it’s a culture of discussion.” Ms. McDonald also cites the uniqueness of East as being one of the reasons that she enjoyed her time here as much as she did. Not having to work in a claustrophobic classroom and being allowed to interact with anyone with little barriers allowed her to foster unlikely friendships.
For future educators, students, and colleagues, she leaves this message: “Stay Positive. Keep doing great things. And embrace change.”
From the staff to Masterminds matches, from math class to student council events, Ms. McDonald’s presence has shaped Williamsville East High School for the better. Her legacy of compassion, adaptability, and excellence will be felt for years to come.
Thank you Ms. McDonald, for 30 years of extraordinary dedication.