The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.



Meet Your Neighbor

Meet your neighbor Ben Rees who is the new High School Assistant Principal, the Athletic Director and the Head Varsity Football Coach at West Central.

Rees was born and raised in Joliet, southwest of Chicago.

His parents are Steve and Cheryl Rees of Washington, IL. They are both retired.

Rees has two sisters, Jennifer Frasier of Springfield and Rebecca Rees of San Francisco. CA.

He earned his Bachelor's Degree in History Education in 1998 from Illinois State University, Normal, a Master's Degree in History from Western Illinois University in 2007 and a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from WIU in Macomb in 2015.

Rees has always been interested in sports. He played four years of football and baseball in high school.

He worked as a football equipment manager for the Illinois State University football team in Normal.

Rees began his teaching career in 1998 - 1999 as a history teacher at Lanphier High School in Springfield. From 1999 through Spring of 2002 he taught History and he also coached at Paris High School in Paris, IL.

Then from 2002 until last spring Rees taught high school history and served as Athletic Director and Coach at ROWVA High School in Oneida, IL.

Rees and his wife Laura were married in June 1999. The couple now live in Galesburg.

They have three children, Grant, 10; Lillian, 8; and Braden, 8.

The Rees family attends First Presbyterian Church in Galesburg. Ben says that his family is the most important thing in his life.

He says he really likes the people he is working with at West Central. He calls them, "a great staff!"