It’s opening night.

The patrons file to their seats and at last the performance begins.

Since he is either in the booth or behind the stage, no paying customer tonight is likely to get a glimpse of the wizard of the auditorium, Tim Domack, and if everything goes according to his plan, they won’t see much of his stage and lighting crews either. That’s the magic of tech theater.

But Domack’s time in the shadows came to an end this past December when his fellow teachers selected him to be the 2019 Teacher of the Year.

His peers praised Domack for being able to build powerful connections with his technical theatre kids and the way he impacts the people around him.

Teaching has always been Domack’s dream, but in the beginning he struggled with choosing which grade level he wanted to teach.

“I always knew that I wanted to become a teacher. However, I couldn’t decide between high school students and college students. I knew I didn’t want to teach anyone lower than high school though,” Domack said.

Domack hates talking about himself, but when pressed why he thought that he was nominated, he looked to the nature of his classes.

“I believe that I was nominated because I make a connection with my students as if they’re my own kids, and in this class we work very closely together, and we stay after school often so we’re able to bond,” Domack said.

Domack said that reaching struggling students and helping them was one of the best parts of teaching.

His students agree that Domack leaves a very strong impact, and they are able to come to him if they need help with anything.

“Domack cares about his kids a lot, and he’s rarely upset. If there’s a stressful situation, he’s able to handle it calmly. Domack’s always there when we need him,” senior Erick Lewis said.

Domack’s colleagues love him because he is always there for them. Anna Jones, drama teacher explains her relationship with Domack and how he impacts other around him.

“He is one of my best friends. He is also a caring teacher and a genuine person. Because of what he teaches, he doesn’t come only in contact with theatre students, but with everyone in the school and in the faculty,” Jones said.

Jones said that Domack’s job is very important even though it doesn’t seem like a big deal. “Domack maintains the auditorium, and he does extremely well. Being able to maintain the auditorium is a very important job because more than our students use the auditorium,” Jones said.

And his reach goes beyond his own Arts department as a majority of the faculty voted for him to win the honor. Domack’s favorite memory out of all his 11 years of teaching isn’t a single memory but a significant moment in all of his students’ lives.

“My favorite part is when it’s time for graduation, and I’m able to see my seniors walk across the stage because in my mind I was a part of this achievement,” Domack said. “I’m also a big fan of when my former students come back from college or when they come back from being in their professional lives, and I love feeling like I made some sort of an impact.”