Mr. Michaud with his daughter, Elowen

On Saturday, Oct. 7, the MT community lost beloved teacher Mr. James Michaud, who died of stage IV metastatic melanoma at age 39. After being diagnosed in February of 2023, Mr. Michaud had undergone multiple treatments, including immunotherapy and oral therapy, but ultimately the cancer couldn’t be eliminated. 

A viewing was held on Friday, Oct. 13 at the Worship Center, and an additional viewing was held on Saturday, Oct. 14 prior to his funeral service. Mr. Michaud was a social studies teacher at the middle school, along with his wife, Mrs. Lauren Michaud, who teaches art at the middle school. Mr. Michaud also coached middle school wrestling for over 10 years and owned his own business, Michaud Iron and Wood Design.

“There are no words that could even begin to adequately sum up the exceptional life of my incredible husband,” Mrs. Michaud said in an Instagram post on Oct. 7. “James lived every day to the fullest even throughout his cancer journey. He never took the time he had for granted.” 

Mr. Michaud was known as a positive, energetic teacher who tailored his curriculum to the needs of his students. 

“He tried to make learning as fun as possible and I really appreciated that,” said senior Maia Khairy. 

He often incorporated games into his lesson plans and used multiple methods of teaching in case students didn’t learn well from just lectures.

But Mr. Michaud made an effort to connect with his students on a personal level as well as academically, and that is what people remember most about him. 

Senior Sarah Sprague said that she felt extremely nervous coming into class the first day of eighth grade, but that “walking into his classroom felt instantly safe and comfortable. I just noticed that he said hello to every single student that walked through the door.”

Mr. Michaud had a genuine investment in the lives of his students that went above and beyond his job. 

“He was always there for me if I ever needed him,” said junior Anthony Bruno. 

When one of Bruno’s friends, junior Gauge Johnston, was struggling with mental health issues in eighth grade, Mr. Michaud helped him get through it.

“8th grade was a really rough year for me emotionally. I felt so detached from a lot of people I knew, and depression was just getting the best of me,” Johnston said. “But whenever I would walk in [Mr. Michaud’s] classroom, I always felt like he welcomed me with open arms…If it weren’t for him and his approachable and kind personality, I don’t know where I’d be right now.”

Mr. Michaud was one of Khairy’s favorite teachers in middle school and she continued to go back and visit him even after eighth grade. 

“He always remembered me and always made me feel important,” she said.

The MT community will miss the joy and compassion that Mr. Michaud brought to everyone he talked to and are sending love to his family. 

“The middle school won’t be the same without him,” said freshman Holly Kaliss. 

If you would like to make a donation in the memory of Mr. Michaud, visit the Michauds’ GoFundMe page. This donation page, which was originally created to help them pay for the cancer treatments, is now being used to give back to MT in Mr. Michaud’s memory.

“I really think that his memory will live on through the people that tell his stories and keep talking about him,” Sprague said. 

She hopes that everyone takes this as a reminder to appreciate the people they have in their lives.