Brad Marcy ’09, M.S. ’17, may have been born to be a teacher, but first he had to be a soldier. The notion that he could teach came to him while serving in Iraq.

From the ages of 19-25, Marcy served in the U.S. Army as part of the 233rd Military Police Company in the Third Infantry Division. He spent six years on active duty and was deployed to Iraq as part of the initial invasion in the Iraq War. He lived in Baghdad for 15 months. 

“We were some of the first in the city and stayed longer than most of those who came in after us,” Marcy said.  

A big influence on him was his squad leader. Staff Sgt. Jermey Mayes was also from Central Illinois. 

“He used to say, ‘When we’re not at war, we’re training,’” Marcy said. “I was an introvert, and he told me I was going to teach, so I taught a lot of classes to soldiers, which made me think, ‘I can do this.’”

It turned out his old staff sergeant was an astute judge of character. In April, Marcy was named Teacher of the Year by Illinois State’s College of Education. Not bad for a guy who said he could’ve been a better student in high school. 

A history and social science teacher and department chair at Le Roy High School, where he’s taught for 13 years, Marcy takes every opportunity to engage his students in experiential learning. If that learning involves lessons about sacrifices made by veterans, then all the better. Marcy creates immersive lessons where his students create battle shields and catapults, plan and host a World War II-era themed hangar dance, and clean the headstones of military veterans.

That last one started about seven or eight years ago when Marcy noticed headstones of veterans in a local cemetery needed some attention. He started the Good Cemeterian project, which enlists the help of students in his American history class. They are charged with choosing a headstone and cleaning it up.

They use a cleaner recommended as an antibiological agent that won’t hurt the surface where it’s applied. It kills moss and lichen and continues to clean for months afterward. Beyond the clean-up are additional layers to the project. 

“We want to tell these veterans’ stories and make sure they’re memorialized and remembered properly,” Marcy said. 

To accomplish that, Marcy and his students use Ancestry.com and two of its products: Fold3 (to research military records of the deceased) and Newspapers.com. 

“Students take down info off their adopted headstone and use Fold3 to research each individual,” Marcy said. “They then put together a bio packet using graphic design, which helps them build skill sets. And they use Ancestry.com to find the nearest living relative and send them a packet describing the project.”

Marcy has found the work to be a creative, hands-on way of engaging his students that integrates history, research, and technology. He’s received positive feedback from his students. 

“You have to meet them where they’re at and get them outside of their comfort zone if you want to impact them,” he said. “I like to get them moving because just talking to them old school doesn’t do it.”

A Springfield native, Marcy said his interest in the military started at home. His dad was an Army Ranger in Vietnam. When he returned to civilian life, Marcy followed the same academic route of his brother, Steven “Troy” Marcy ’99, M.S. ’01, and his wife, Julie Marcy ’99, M.S. ’19, who both enjoyed being students at Illinois State.  

“I got home from the war and started my new life adventure,” Brad Marcy said.

Included in that adventure was meeting his wife, Ashlie Morfey Marcy ’09. They are parents to two girls: Kennedy, 11, and Carsen, 8. Ashlie is a librarian and history teacher in Le Roy schools.   

“We even had an ISU-themed wedding at Ewing Manor,” Marcy said. “We did our first dance, ‘The Chicken Dance,’ with Reggie Redbird.”

Marcy will begin his 14th year of teaching this fall. Although he initially wanted to be a physical education teacher, he found his calling in teaching material with connections to his time in the military. He’s inspired by his students’ interest in veterans like him. 

“They aren’t moved or inspired by grades alone. They are more motivated by the impact they can have,” Marcy said. “When they know that real people are counting on them, they come through for you. They will move heaven and Earth to not let you down because you trusted them.

“It’s not always easy to move them to care, but it’s inspiring for me. It fills my cup.”