November 22, 2022

From wrestling to coaching and teaching, Jason Tomayko has come a long way. Tomayko, the high school’s newest math teacher, is a Copley High School alumnus. His road to teaching started with wrestling, which he began at a young age. As it turns out, he found his niche—a niche that led him to a career in education. 

“I started wrestling when I was three years old,” Tomayko said. “You might say it chose me.”

Tomayko continued to wrestle all the way through high school and was recognized for his many achievements.

“I wrestled all four years of high school,” Tomayko said. “I was all-suburban honorable mention my freshman, junior and senior years.”

Even after enduring many injuries, not only as an athlete but as a coach as well, Tomayko’s love for wrestling never faded.

 “I dealt with [a lot of] injuries,” Tomayko said. “I have matching scars on my eyes from when I had to get stitches. The first one was when I was a freshman [and] the second one happened last year [when I was coaching].”

Tomayko participated in a number of sports in high school, including tennis and football. Of all his coaches, he feels that Copley physical education teacher and coach Doug Harig had the most significant impact on his athletic achievements.

“Coach Harig really shaped my mindset as a very intelligent athlete,” Tomayko said. “He was my football coach and he actually made us take written tests. We got a grade and if we didn’t score high enough, we didn’t play. He set the stage for me to be a very cerebral athlete.”

After high school, Tomayko began coaching at Copley High School. He then got married  and moved to Colorado, where he coached for two years in Colorado Springs before moving back to teach in Ohio. 

Like his passion for athletics, Tomayko’s interest in teaching began early—in middle school. 

“Mr. Coon was my seventh grade science teacher,” Tomayko said. “He had to go home sick one day and we were doing an experiment where we were looking through a microscope. I had already done the activity, and he asked if anybody would want to [teach] it. He happened to pick me, so I actually got to be a teacher for that day. They brought in a sub to supervise me and I really enjoyed that. Then in eighth grade in Mrs. Elefter’s class, we had to explore careers. I explored teaching and I really liked it.”

Tomayko’s life changed in many ways after becoming a teacher.

“[Every time I work with a] new staff, I meet an immense [number] of people that impact my life,” Tomayko said. “Every year, I also meet students that impact my life in very meaningful ways.”