Retiring West Islip teacher brings the French Revolution to life

West Islip High School social studies teacher Ed McNamara has found a tried-and-true way to bring the French Revolution to life for his 10th-grade AP European History students.

To add “lighter moments” to what he describes as the “intense, first college-level course the kids are taking,” McNamara stages a mock trial of Louis XVI, with students portraying the last king of France, as well as witnesses, prosecutors, defenders and jurors. McNamara, robed in his college graduation gown, plays the judge.

McNamara said that although the 1792 proceeding was “historically, a show trial,” students, applying the American justice system, exonerate the king almost as often as they sentence him to the classroom’s miniature handmade guillotine.

Connecting such historical events to current issues is “what I really enjoy about being a history teacher,” said McNamara, 55, of Bethpage. “That way the past is more of a living thing,” adds McNamara, known to his students as “Mr. Mac.” He will retire in June after 31 years in the district.

Principal Andrew O’Farrell added that his “authentic learning experiences . . . consistently lead to outstanding results on AP and New York State assessments” and his “genuine care for young people make him a truly magical teacher.”

Sarah Brunengraber, 17, a West Islip senior and former McNamara student said he “helped everyone do well because he combines learning with fun.” She added that his methods “really made him really stand out as a teacher.”

McNamara graduated from Bethpage High School, earned a bachelor’s in history from Adelphi University in Garden City and a master’s in history from Villanova University in Pennsylvania. He began teaching in 1995 and worked at both the district’s Udall Road Middle School and West Islip High School, and he has been full-time at the high school since 2013.

Outside the classroom, McNamara serves on the committee that selects the high school’s two top students in lieu of a valedictorian and salutatorian, and he co-coaches the Brainstormers student quiz bowl club.

Marissa Gargiulo, 23, of West Islip, a 2020 graduate of the high school currently studying for a master’s degree in library science at Queens College in Flushing, said taking McNamara’s courses such as Genocide in History, “helped foster my love of history.”

“I love teaching, and I’m going to miss it,” McNamara said. But retiring will give him flexibility to continue world travels with his wife, Denise. Together they’ve visited Western Europe, Hawaii and Tahiti, and they’re looking forward to extending their travels into the autumn to places long on their wish list, like New Zealand, he said.

Nominate the passionate, engaging and innovative educators of Long Island to be featured in our Teacher Spotlight series by sending details to LILife@Newsday.com.