WOODBURY — William Michael is a familiar face to many at Nonnewaug High School. Many people can recognize him as “The Video Guy.”

“He seems like he is an interesting person,” said junior Daniel Jaffin.

But who is he?

Michael has been teaching Media Technology at Nonnewaug since August 2012. 

“He is a very fun and laid back teacher who creates a very mellow and productive environment,” said senior Raine Wood. “He [always] encourages people to do their best.”

“He is also a VERY understanding teacher and puts a lot of effort into making sure every student is doing well and on schedule while still being able to have fun,” she added. “He also always takes students’ opinions into consideration and is all in all an amazing teacher.”  

In addition to producing the well-known NHS News videos, Michael offers a wide variety of classes in the technology field. 

Wood had Michael for Environmental Video Production and Video 2. “Video 2 is definitely my favorite class I’ve taken all of high school,” she said. “[It] has helped me immensely for when I pursue film and directing in college and as a career.”

As for Michael, all his classes are his favorite. He said that he finds them interesting because, “visual arts are always evolving, and the ideas of students are what separates one class from another.”

“Whichever class generates the most ideas and succeeds in completing them is the most rewarding to teach for that particular year,” said Michael. “This has more to do with the creativity of individuals rather than the course itself.”

Michael’s lessons can be found useful in other classes. 

“Right now, he’s helping teach us about documentary-making in Investigative Multimedia Journalism. [He] has helped a lot of kids learn how to use the editing software, cameras, and any skills they need to know for filming and conducting real-time interviews,” explained Wood. 

According to Michael, he became interested in technology “through multi-track recording,” which is a processing of recording sound on tapes dating back to the 1950s. With his interest in the technology field, the work done in his classroom can be considered more than just basic classwork.

“When creating audio and video art, technology is essentially the canvas upon which the information is stored. It is necessary to have an understanding of what technological tools and software to use in order to best express one’s artistic message,” said Michael.

From designing video games to editing videos, it is clear that he cares about his classes.

“I would absolutely 100% recommend his class to everyone possible,” said Wood.

“He is a fabulous teacher, and his classes are really good if you want a class where you can just ‘wind down’ in for a period. Even if you aren’t that interested in video, you can learn skills that will help in everyday life,” Wood continued.

“Mr. Michael also pushes you out of your comfort zone a lot in the class, which definitely helps boost confidence. … I would encourage everyone to take at least one of his classes while at Nonnewaug.”