The 2022-2023 school year has seen a plethora of new faculty in the district. The social studies department has gained two new teachers, Mr. Grunin and Ms. Carroll. Mr. Grunin is teaching Criminal Justice, Global II, and AP Government in the high school. Ms. Carroll teaches Global I in the high school and other social studies classes in the middle school.

Mr. Grunin hails from Oceanside and then attended SUNY Buffalo for college. “It was open, large, and had around 30,000 students, so there was always something to do,” he recalls. His teaching career began in 2013 at Hebrew schools. “But by 2016 I was certified as a NYS teacher and was teaching in Astoria between then and 2022,” he said. When asked why he decided to stick with Wantagh as opposed to other towns he’s taught in, he replied, “The kids here are nice. The staff here is nice. The parents are nice. The food options around are nice. Everything is nice.” 

“Wantagh is GREAT!” he said. “I like it because there are so many extra curricular activities going on, the students are very cooperative, and everyone likes to give a helping hand.” Mr. Grunin chose social studies “because I love discussing ideas. All the stuff people find boring like communism or capitalism or enlightenment ideas or absolutism; I find it interesting.” As for his vision for the future of Wantagh High School, he shared, “I suppose my vision for the future of education at Wantagh is to more closely align with many businesses in different fields to help our students find a purposeful career.” 

Ms. Carroll grew up in Newtown, Connecticut and then went to the University of Connecticut for her undergraduate degree. “It was so much fun to be there when the men’s and women’s basketball teams were at the top of their game,” she recalled. “They won a few national championships while I was there, so it was a great way to bring the whole campus together.” Ms. Carroll spent the past five years teaching at Bunnell High School in Stratford, Connecticut teaching Modern World History and AP Government. 

On why she chose to accept a position at Wantagh, she shared, “When I was interviewing to relocate to Long Island this summer, I had the best experiences in my interviews at Wantagh. Everyone was kind, welcoming, and seemed to really care about their staff and students. I wanted to work in a place where I felt respected, appreciated, and supported and from the beginning, that is what Wantagh was like for me.”  

“When I was deciding to pursue teaching for a career, I thought about the subjects I enjoyed most in school and in college and history was always my favorite,” she said. “I love that it tells the story of the world we live in now and helps us better understand others. My favorite subject to teach has been AP Government because I love how many connections we can make to current events.” On the future of Wantagh, she shared, “My vision for the future of education at Wantagh is to continue to help foster civic minded students who are ready to go into the world and make a positive impact. I plan to influence this by inspiring my students to be lifelong learners and to understand the importance and FUN of being engaged in their community.”

The Wantagh community is so grateful for these new additions to the district!