It was September of 1996. Not knowing what the day had in store, Michael Troy pulled into the school’s parking lot in his Chevy Silverado. As he turned the key to shut off the truck, the constant whirr of the engine was replaced with silence.
Troy, the new woodshop teacher at Oyster River High School (ORHS), was ready to start a new chapter in his previously chaotic life. He made his way into his new classroom and was hit with the familiar smell of sawdust as he opened the door. He set his hot coffee down on his desk before taking a seat and looking around. Little did he know that within these walls he would impact the lives of thousands of students over the next three decades. At the time, changing lives was the last thing on Troy’s mind. He was simply excited to see what the day would bring.
After hearing a knock at the door, Troy sprung up and looked over to see the first of many new faces. The man greeted Troy with a smile and introduced himself as Lawrence, the resident art teacher at ORHS. The two quickly hit it off and bonded over the struggles of settling into the new job.
Soon enough, the first bell had rung, and students began to enter Troy’s classroom. Troy didn’t exactly have a plan cut out for him, as he was given the job of creating the woodshop curriculum from scratch. He figured he’d start by asking students what they wanted to build and what they were interested in learning. With this information, he shaped the classes into what they are today through trial and error.
The first day came to an end, and Troy left the building with a smile on his face. To top it all off, Troy was able to simply return home and see his family (something he was unable to do at his previous jobs, since he traveled frequently). Troy was happy with his new job and looked forward to this new chapter in his life.
Now, Troy is one of the veterans of the Oyster River staff, and his name is known throughout the district. Simply put, he’s a character and someone that any student at Oyster River should get to know.
This year marks Troy’s twenty-eighth year at Oyster River High School. After previously working as a contractor and with data communications, he found himself struggling to balance life between work and home with his three children. He had always wanted to work as a teacher and got the chance to settle down and do so at Oyster River.
Through the years, Troy made good friends with some of his fellow teachers, got up to some shenanigans around the building, and has had the opportunity to watch students grow and learn during and after their high school years. He’s built a reputation as someone who’s always ready to crack a joke but can be serious when the time calls. He’s left quite an impact on students and teachers alike here at Oyster River, and it isn’t hard to see.
One of Troy’s favorite parts of his job at Oyster River is seeing his students grow into independent young men and women and seeing them solve problems by themselves through trial and error. In regard to how far a student can come in only a semester, Troy said “[Students] have never worked the machines, and they’re leaving here with chairs and compound angle stools.”
On top of getting to witness students succeed through hard work and effort, Troy has also had the opportunity to make lifelong friends with people like Mr. Whalen from the math department, Mr. LaForce from the music department, Ms. Rosi, a current art teacher, and the previously mentioned (and now retired) Mr. Lawrence from the art department.
Troy said he enjoyed “watching their families grow, and getting to find true friendship here at school with coworkers that I do believe are lifelong friendships.”
LaForce commented on how he and Troy met, saying they hit it off “pretty early on. Then we got along famously well after that.” In fact, LaForce, Troy, and Lawrence became such good friends they became known as “The Three Amigos.”
It only makes sense that the people Troy got along best with had a similar sense of humor. This would lead to pranks being pulled by not only Troy alone, but with the help of some of his fellow teachers and students.
As Ms. Rosi walked her class outside into the woods, suddenly there was a loud pop followed by a thud as something hit the ground. Rosi, who was still a first-year teacher at the time, believed the sound to be a gunshot. She silently arranged her kids and the class hurried to get back inside. About halfway back to the building, Rosi noticed something strange. Standing in front of her was Mike Troy and a group of students hysterically laughing with potato guns in hand, firing them into the forest where Rosi’s class had come from.
Years later, inside the shop, was the school’s gator: a golf-cart type vehicle used to navigate the athletic fields. It sat in the back of the classroom, due to the original garage being burnt down. Troy and Whalen, seeing the gator unattended, devised a plan. They gathered some survey equipment, put on some hardhats, and hopped on the gator. They drove their way to the front of the building, and began setting up the survey equipment, all right outside of the principal’s office. Inside the office, the principal was meeting with the architect tasked with rebuilding a section of the building. Together, they witnessed the whole thing. As Troy and Whalen continued their charade, Troy held a blueprint in his hands, looking at it with a confused expression. Whalen walked over, flipped the blueprint, and Troy made a face of revelation. The blueprint was upside down, meaning they had to be on the other side of the building. They packed up their equipment and fled the scene. “We got spoken to by the company, but it was a lot of fun,” said Whalen.
As Troy spent years at Oyster River, his reputation for shenanigans began to grow. He was always up to something, but don’t let his mischievous demeanor fool you. Behind the rough exterior, dry sarcasm, and ever-so-famous mustache sits a man who cares about his students and wants to see them succeed more than anything.
“Even when it came to small things around the building, Troy was there to help. He’d like to keep a low profile, but he would do a lot of stuff behind the scenes,” said LaForce.
This willingness to help is reflected in his teaching as well. “You mess up, he doesn’t care. He just wants you to keep persevering,” said Jack Charleston (’27)
Many students come into Troy’s classes with little knowledge of woodworking, but Troy still does his best to make it accessible and doable for anyone.
Olivia Mueller (’24), a new face in the shop this year, said “He teaches his kids how to use the different machines based off of what they already know and how confident they are. There’s no pressure at all.”
“He’s a human before he’s a teacher and he relates to his students like humans first.” said Rosi, explaining that Troy’s down to earth personality and humor is what makes him a truly great teacher.
Although woodworking is Troy’s main area of expertise, he also teaches his students valuable life lessons. “[Troy has] taught us a lot of respect and how to interact with other people,” said Casey Pirtle (‘25). “Even though I didn’t have his class this year, I like to visit whenever I can because he gives good advice,” Pirtle continued.
Many are sad to see Troy go, but all are thankful to have worked alongside or to have been taught by him.
The B3 period begins, and Troy has a Construction Technology class. He stands at the door of his classroom, welcoming each student as they enter. The bell rings, and he makes his way to his desk. He quickly takes attendance and asks the students about how they spent their April vacation. The students share, and he cracks jokes along the way.
Once the conversation finishes, the students grab their safety glasses and head into the shop. A few students notice Troy’s motorcycle in the back of the shop and can’t help but ask about it. Troy shares an old story of a motorcycle ride with one of his sons that ended with his kid on fire (he was not injured), and the students and Troy all share a laugh. The students then get to work, and Troy makes his way around the shop, helping students as needed. He notices a shortage of wall studs needed for the model houses the students are building. A student and him spend some time cutting enough studs for the class to use, all while chatting about cars, motorcycles, and anything else that comes up.
Soon enough, it comes time to clean up the shop. Troy, with the help of his students, picks up all the wooden scraps around the room, puts away all the stray tools, and goes back into the classroom. He goes over the plans going forward in the class, and his students leave for lunch. With the classroom to himself once again, he can’t help but think of the years ahead. He’ll miss the job, the coworkers, the students, and the high school altogether. But, for now, there’s nothing to do but enjoy the last month as much as possible.
– Talon Ouellette and Mairtin Sweetman
Mouth of the River 
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