There are some places in a school that become more than walls and paint.
At Wylie High School, one of those places is the cafeteria stage wall, where the words “We are Wylie Nation” stretch large in purple and gold. Students pass it every day on their way to lunch, to class, to conversations with friends - often without realizing the love and time behind every letter.
This week, that wall became even more meaningful.
Wylie High School Student Council unveiled a plaque in memory of Mr. Terry McDonald, a longtime educator, coach, administrator and Wylie graduate who passed away earlier this school year. The plaque now sits beside the mural he helped create with his wife, Glenda McDonald, who also serves at Wylie High School.
Mrs. McDonald cut the purple ribbon during the unveiling, surrounded by students and staff who wanted to honor a man remembered not for seeking attention, but for quietly giving his best.
(Right: Mrs. McDonald Cuts the Ribbon with Students Watching On)
“He would be proud,” Mrs. McDonald said. “He was a very humble man."
The mural was painted during spring break in 2024. Mrs. McDonald, who often paints murals on her own, said this one was too large to finish alone, especially with students returning soon. So she recruited her husband.
“I would outline it, and then he’d go back and fill in all the letters,” she said. “That makes it even more special that he actually participated on this one.”
(Mr. McDonald Painting The Mural, 2024)
For senior Emerie Nicholson, the mural immediately made the school feel brighter when she first saw it after spring break. Later, learning that Mr. and Mrs. McDonald had spent their break creating it made the wall mean even more.
Emerie described Mr. McDonald in one word: positive.
“Mr. McDonald was always there and never failed to have a smile on his face,” Emerie said. “His positivity is something that will never be forgotten and is irreplaceable to our campus.”
Mr. McDonald served in education for 39 years, including eight years at Wylie High School, the place he once called his own as a 1982 graduate. Through the SOAR program, hallway conversations and simple acts of care, he became a steady presence for students and staff.
Mrs. McDonald said she hopes students who pass the plaque remember one of the lessons he lived by.
“It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to always be right, but it has to be your best,” she said. “As long as you’re doing your best, that’s all I ask.”
The plaque was made possible by Glenda McDonald, Melinda Bacon and Wylie High School Student Council. For Emerie and her fellow seniors, it is a meaningful legacy to leave behind.
“It represents our community and everything Wylie stands for,” Emerie said.
And perhaps that is what makes this small plaque so powerful. It does not simply mark a memory. It points students back to a life of humility, kindness, hard work and quiet faithfulness.
Just like the mural says, we are Wylie Nation. And because of people like Mr. McDonald, it’s great to be a Wylie Bulldog.
(Wylie 2026 Senior Student, Emerie Nicholson)
(Terry McDonald, Senior Picture, Wylie Class of 1982)
(Terry McDonald, Senior Football #80, Wylie Class of 1982)
