A spotlight on RHS’ newest history teacher
By Chris Park
You can use two words to describe him: knowledgeable and talented. Knowledgeable in history and social studies, and a talented runner. Who is he? Meet Mr. Lefer, a teacher of Social Studies at RHS. I first met him when Mrs. Wood introduced him to me as a teacher who might be willing to become the new advisor of a club I was already running. He heartily agreed. On top of serving as the advisor for my club, Model Congress, Mr. Lefer works hard teaching his students, staying after school every day to answer any questions or address the concerns of his students. However, Mr. Lefer is far more than just a teacher. Beyond the classroom, after teaching his U.S. History II Honors and AMEX10 students, Mr. Lefer leads an equally fascinating life. Let’s take a closer look.
As a child, Mr. Lefer’s original dream was to become a paleontologist. However, he just couldn’t help but be inspired by his grandfather on his mom’s side: a man who loved to talk about history, and who went through World War II as a teenager. Hence, his current occupation. Growing up in school, Mr. Lefer’s favorite subject was history. He also tried hard in Physical Education, as well as in sports outside of school, namely running.
Running was and still is a major part of Mr. Lefer’s life. He successfully ran 12 seasons of track and cross country in high school, earning the Coaches Award, an award given by coaches to a distinctive player, for spring track, and becoming captain of his cross country team. Now, as a high school teacher, Mr. Lefer still is a passionate runner, running down streets in different towns and tracking how many he gets through.
When asked why he has such a passion for running, one that extended beyond his high school years, Mr. Lefer responded by saying that he loves the competitive nature of running. However, when asked another question of whether he ever considered becoming a professional runner, Mr. Lefer responded with a prompt, “No”. Mr. Lefer still runs as a passionate hobby, however, and while running competitively he has made major accomplishments, and met significant individuals. That passion led him to the world’s largest marathon, in New York City, where he met some of the sport’s greats.
“When I got to the New York City Marathon” he recalled, “I met Bill Rodgers, who won Boston multiple times, won New York multiple times. Uh, I’ve met like Kyle Merber, who was a sub-4 miler.”
Running has also brought Mr. Lefer to all different places of the world, not just to notable individuals. “It was, like, mid-October when I got invited to a 5k in Paris. Uh, to try and qualify for the Mass Participation Olympic Marathon. The trouble was [that] the race was in 10 days, so I told my wife, ‘Hey, this is a cool opportunity’. So, within ten days we planned a Paris trip. We were there for 40 hours, and I ran this 5k to try and qualify against this guy Eliud Kipchoge, who was the world record holder at the time of the marathon. Uh, I ended up qualifying for that marathon, and got to go back to Paris in 2024 for the Olympics, uh, and, at 9:00 pm between the men’s race and the women’s race I raced on the Olympic course with 20,000 other ‘regular’ people. Uh, so we went through a lot of landmarks and things so that was a cool experience.”
At home, far from the bustling marathons and races, Mr. Lefer also lives a private, personal life. With a wife and two young children, he has much to think and worry about outside of the classroom. In the classroom, however, he wants to thank his students, both at Demarest and at Ridgewood, who ask insightful questions and who work hard.
“Those [students] who were the most memorable were the ones who challenged me with good questions, uh, and ones who, uh, really wanted to engage in the materials the most. They’re the ones who made learning fun even if it wasn’t directly what we were talking about. Just having those tangential conversations I think was really worthwhile.”
Mr. Lefer has led an exciting, emotional life: running that took him places, and a lifelong passion for history that led to his current occupation today. However, like everybody else, Mr. Lefer could not have done this without the support from others.
“I couldn’t have been a teacher or been in this position without [the] support of my family, uh, and my coworkers. I have been really lucky to have some great coworkers… My wife is, like, super supportive, so having that, that support from people I would say, you know, you can’t get anywhere by yourself. Needing help is important.”