Teacher Feature: A tour of Mr. Roy’s eclectic classroom

Tired of the same old gloomy walls and halls of GHS? Stop by room 2205, where you’ll find not only a super cool creative writing teacher, but a room full of meaningful mementos and comprehensive collections.

Mr. Zachary Roy has been collecting oddities from his students for years. These objects include things such as pencils, comics, books, plants, student IDs, and even apple and banana stickers.

“If I have to spend my entire career teaching in this room, I’m going to make it fun,” said Roy.

Your journey into his room will take you back in time to previous school years. Each item and collection has a memory of a graduated student or class attached to it. The most prominent of the collections being the wall of pencils on the left as you walk in.

What started as a joke one year quickly sparked into a funny way for Roy’s students to leave a happy memory behind. Some of the pencils are from the 50s and 60s, some are from different countries, some are smelly, some are from teachers, and some are from graduated students.

“It’s less of a passion of mine and more of a conversation starter,” said Roy.

Continuing to look around the room, one might notice the sizeable amount of books and comics almost littering the walls. So many items occupy Roy’s room, it may overwhelm you. Fear not; this room is a space for controlled chaos in which many people, including Roy himself, thrive.

“I’m never going to say no to something a student brings in,” said Roy. “It is clutter but I can thrive in it.”

With a closer look one will notice words on the walls, ceilings, and desks. These words are anything from names of students to inspirational words and even conversations between visiting alumni.

Student IDs line the ceiling where those students sit or previously sat.

Plants and army figurines line Roy’s window sills while a large chess board occupies the front of the room. Digging into his shelves, one may even find a vintage chess board with pieces carved out of stone.

“I don’t go to the store,” said Roy, “stuff just shows up.”

Even teachers have caught onto Roy’s collections. History teacher Michael Perrault brought him Star Wars and Batman action figures. And of course, other teachers bring him pencils.

As for the apple and banana stickers decorating the threshold of the room, Roy hopes to turn those stickers into warriors battling each other.

“I have so much stuff in this room, but none of it is actually functional,” said Roy. “But if you need anything to write with I have lots of pencils.”

Gallery • 10 Photos

Jenna Taormina

Mr. Roy's impressive pencil collection