Harry Shontz, a high school social studies teacher at The Leffell School, puts the “heart” in Hartsdale, New York. A typical day in Shontz’s 12th grade “Gaming the Government” class resembles a living museum. Working with the Reacting to the Past pedagogy, his students participate in simulations of the historical eras they study and embody figures from the period. After weeks of research, students develop deep knowledge of their characters, allowing them to understand how each historical period informs society today. Shontz’s students converse, deliver speeches, and debate while in character—depicting time periods such as ancient Greece, medieval China, or the 1960s American political landscape. Shontz spreads his creative pedagogy to his other classes: comparative government, psychology, ninth grade world history, and 11th grade honors U.S. history.
As chair of Leffell’s history department, Shontz shapes curriculum and materials with fellow history teachers. These efforts include creating new interest-driven elective classes—American women’s history; law, crime and punishment in global history; modern Israeli history; social and political change and revolution; and ancient civilizations. Shontz sits on multiple committees and is a leading voice on schoolwide instructional initiatives and policy, where he helped revamp the master schedule while prioritizing Leffell’s rigorous academic and Judaic education priorities. He has been instrumental in designing the Agora Seminars, launching in fall 2026, which, in the spirit of a public square, will develop advanced analytical thinking in courses that explore constitutional law; international relations; political philosophy; global mythology; Jewish law; ethics; and the literature of law, politics, and power.
Shontz is equally involved in extracurriculars; he sponsors the senior internship program, leads holiday activities, and chaperones the senior trip to Israel. Outside of Leffell, he coaches competitive swimming at Chelsea Piers Aquatic Club and Greenwich Water Club and serves as Leffell’s unofficial lifeguard on overnight school trips.
Shontz earned a Bachelor of Arts in history and psychology from the University of California, Davis, in 2012, and has completed graduate coursework and research in social studies education methods and special education methods at Manhattanville University.
