Mr. Troy

Students with Mr. Troy on their schedule this year might be surprised by the severe lack of mustache present on the man standing in front of them. This may be due to the fact that they are not looking at Troy, but Troy instead. 

Lucas Troy is the new Industrial Arts teacher at Oyster River High School (ORHS). Taking over for his father, Mike Troy, who had run the shop for 28 years, he’s excited to continue the department and make it his own through his passion for students and the arts. 

[Because these two share a last name, “Mike Troy” will henceforth be referred to as “Troy Sr.”] 

Growing up in the very shop he now runs, teaching wasn’t the path Troy had always seen for himself. He is a passionate musician and pursued art for a time in college, those experiences give him a unique perspective and appreciation for creative expression that he plans to share with his students. 

Troy says, “I want to see what the kids can come up with. I can tell them how to assemble a picture frame or some bookshelves, but I want to see their creative drive. I wanna see what kind of ideas they can bring to the table.” 

Though Troy never finished college he’ll be getting his teaching certification through the school. He is grateful to have found his way here, “A lot of the things that Oyster River seems focused on is making sure that you’re good with the kids, that you’re a positive person for the kids to look towards for guidance.” 

Assistant Principal Mike McCann was on the committee that interviewed Troy, “I think we’re just really lucky to have him you know, he’s really dedicated, and he seems very excited about the work that he’s doing, and he really cares about helping people.” 

Troy sees a lot of value in celebrating differences in the classroom and giving students the space to explore their individual interests. One of Troy’s advisees, Lucy Zent (’28) mentioned, “He said that he worked with special needs kids before he worked here and that was nice to hear cause he knows that people have different experiences with learning.” 

Before ORHS, Troy worked at The Birchtree Center, which is a small school in Portsmouth for kids with autism. There, he worked with high school aged kids, individually and in classes. He taught mostly life skills, incorporating his industrial experience into the curriculum and work around the school. 

“I was also the maintenance coordinator at the school, so after school I was the handy man, and I tried to incorporate that with my students too. I’d get them to help me out repairing the school too,” Troy added. 

“When I started working at the Birch Tree Center, I realized, I really really love working with kids [and] making an impact on their lives. I saw it through my dad’s work,” said Troy. 

Connor Long (’25), a long time Industrial Arts student of Troy Sr.’s, said that his first impression of Troy was that, “he’s really energetic, happy to be here.” Long is taking three of Troy’s classes this year and is excited to get to know him.  

Troy Sr. could not be more relieved, excited, and proud that the program is staying in the family. “I can’t even describe to you what it feels like, I am so proud. I worked very hard for 28 years here to build a program, and it was killing me to think that I would be leaving… it’s so hard to describe the joy, knowing that the shop will continue with Mr. Troy. I can sleep at night.” Troy is proud to carry on the legacy but is excited to make it his own, pushing his students to incorporate their own passions into their work and take their creativity to the next level. 

-Elise Bacon