After 29 years of teaching, history teacher Adam Stonehill is now retiring from Townsend Harris High School. 

Since first stepping into the school in 1994, he has been a huge asset to the THHS community, playing many roles such as being the COSA for nine years, a history teacher, and a coach for multiple years. 

Although he came from a background of teaching as his parents were both teachers, he never thought that it would be a career he would pursue. His parents didn’t encourage him to pursue a career in education, but “they were instrumental in having me figure out what was best for my personality and what made me happy,” said Mr. Stonehill. 

During his years of figuring out what he wanted to be, he exposed himself to trying a variety of fields. “[I] worked in a law firm, traveled for a year [with] a backpack,” said Mr. Stonehill. However, he soon found his passion for teaching when he was left strapped for cash on travel funds. “I became a counselor and teacher for a group of students who were doing a semester abroad in a foreign country and loved it,” he said.

This year Mr. Stonehill co-taught multiple Advanced Placement (AP) World History Modern classes with history teacher Frank Spitaleri. They began to collaborate in 2020 during the time of virtual learning.  Then, when students returned to the building, they began co-teaching in person. Mr. Spitaleri speaks to Mr. Stonehill’s love for geography and how that was implemented into their lessons. “I think it opened the eyes of a lot of students to understand that where someone is located in the world has a lot to tell about their experience,” Mr. Spitaleri said. 

On a more personal level, Mr. Spitaleri spoke to Mr. Stonehill’s character and positivity, saying “[Mr. Stonehill] always looks on the bright side of things, always has a smile on his face.” Their collaboration allowed them to create well-rounded lessons, each bringing something different to the table. 

As to his favorite memory Mr. Spitaleri refers to a classroom simulation of World War 1 that called for quick thinking and uncalled for events: “We had a lot of fun because Mr. Stonehill and I would be the masters of the game and we would throw in these little silly events in and see how the students would respond.” From this collaboration, Mr. Stonehill’s positivity and big smile is something that Mr. Spitaleri will miss and hopes to find in any future collaborations.

Various Harristies expressed their gratitude and appreciation for Mr. Stonehill’s contributions to the THHS community, wishing him well on his retirement.

Sophomore Ramon Rodriguez, who was a student of Mr. Stonehill this year, said, “What I like about Mr. Stonehill is a good teacher and person, and he focuses on us enjoying the topic rather than on our grades.” He makes all the activities enjoyable and is a fair tester, which isn’t something all teachers do.” Sophomore Rubi Kim said, “I liked his energy and his enthusiasm for what he does.”

Junior Tasnim Hossain said, “My favorite memory of Mr. Stonehill was when he would ask me questions about my life to make me feel like I mattered.”

Senior Jabir Rahman said, “He’s honestly a nice person to learn from and he’s helped me a lot when it came to online learning.” 

Junior Alison Li said, “I think that he was a really good teacher. His lessons were really engaging. I had a lot of fun in the 8th band last year with him. I wish him the best of luck. Thank you Mr. Stonehill.” 

To sum up his teaching experience at THHS, Mr. Stonehill recounted a moment from his first week of teaching here. He spoke about a lesson he was teaching on primary and secondary sources. He hoped to use ancient texts to differentiate between sources within history. “Little did I realize how bright the students were,” he said, “so some of the students took Ancient Greek and were asking me the roots of words.” This feedback from his students made Mr. Stonehill question just how hard he should make his lessons, customizing the material to the quality of students. “They took it to a level that I didn’t even think was possible, and I realized that’s what makes this place incredible,” he said.

After many different endeavors within THHS, Mr. Stonehill believes that it is time for him to try different things in life. In regards to plans after retirement, Mr. Stonehill hopes to travel and potentially move out of state within the upcoming years.