CCHS teacher pushes students to reach their potential

Coal City High School students lounged in their teacher’s office in the midst of a busy performance season to talk about their mentor. These theater students seemed nervous at first, but once they spoke about Jack Micetich, the words of praise and admiration flowed as their once straight faces, now donned smiles and laughter filled the cozy room.

“He’s a hard worker, for sure; I think he’s the hardest-working person I know, I’m not even joking,” junior Derek Carlson said. “I’m a hard worker and I definitely get that from Micetich. Just watching him to do his thing, unseen too, the hard work no one sees, it motivates me to be as hardworking as him.”

Micetich, CCHS theater technology and auditorium director, said he can come off “scary” at first to the students, but it’s just his intensity for the success of each of his students, during a performance, in the classroom and life.

Senior McKenna Patten said she thought Micetich was intimidating at first when she began her theater journey nine years ago, but now finds him as a trustworthy confidant.

“Once you get to know him, he’s an open person and when you don’t have a person to talk to or tell something to, you can trust him,” Patten said.

Patten has also bonded with Micetich as the two were both hurt, she a concussion and he had a leg injury during rehearsals on a project two years ago.

“We bonded over our injuries and would check up on each other,” Patten said.

Micetich always knew he would have a career in education; how could he not with a lineage like his? He has a great-uncle, grandfather, parents and three brothers who are all teachers.

“I was surrounded with it, I remember going to IGA in the summer to make copies with my mom,” Micetich said.

It was, however, his high school math teacher, Colleen Miller, who pushed him into being a math teacher, which he taught before theater. He told his guidance counselor he wanted to take every class Miller taught.

“She cared and had high expectations, never mean about it, but she expected more of us,” Micetich said.

Micetich, in year 10 in Coal City schools, has taught math, social studies and transitioned to theater tech and acting classes at the high school.

He teaches between 90 to 100 students. This spring, students performed “Phantom of the Opera” and he said some nights he did not leave the school until 4 a.m. He encourages a well-rounded student, so he holds practice after the kids finish with other extracurricular activities.

“He’s like one of my father figures, he’s trusting,” sophomore Stephen Byers said.

Perhaps one of the favorite memories the students reminisced about was the pandemic performances outside, in three spots around town. The perseverance Micetich showed these students left a lasting impression. They said they will never forget how when most school theater departments canceled shows, he chose to work outside of the box and give the students some sort of normalcy in an uncertain time.

“In ‘Alice and Wonderland’ I played Chesire Cat, and I was actually in a tree, in a park, creeping in a tree,” Carlson said.

Patten said, “It rained one night so the crew had to squeegee water off the stage.”

English teacher Traci Fritz described Micetich as innovative, passionate, collaborative and genuine and added that he strives for excellence in himself and the students.

Byers said Micetich never settles for less and pushes everyone further. Patten agreed that Micetich sees potential in the student before they see it themselves. Then he pushes that potential further, sometimes to places the student did not know they could go.

Micetich said he enjoys a front-row seat in the growth of his students and gets excited for their future when they spread their wings.

“It’s super fulfilling,” Micetich said.