Osceola Clarke High School Principal Kim Antisdel tried to give Chris Deam a night off last month, but she failed.

"We had a contest here a couple of weeks ago and I told him, 'You know, you have a lot of late nights, I'll take the contest on Saturday,'" Antisdel said Monday. "And I'll be darned if I was sitting in here and he shows up and I said, 'What are you doing here?'

"He is so very, very attentive to his job and to the kids and is a strong supporter of our activities, whether it's music or arts or sports or whatever it is. Chris is always here in the building."

Deam, 36, was announced Monday as the new Activities Director and Associate Principal at Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School, succeeding Scott Kibby.

"It is Clarke's loss and your gain," Antisdel remarked.

Deam and his wife, Carrie, visited Jefferson High School on Saturday and met with Jefferson Principal Chuck McDonnell. The Deams have two daughers, Anna, 8, and Carlee, 4.

Deam has worked at Osceloa Clarke Community Schools for the last 11 years, including the past three years as an associate principal and the A.D. for grades 7 through 12. He previously served as the high school wrestling coach and middle school football coach.

"We're excited. My wife and I and our girls are excited to make the move," Deam said Monday in a phone interview while preparing for a middle school track meet. "I feel like it's great for my career to move up to a 4A school."

Osceloa Clarke, located south of Des Moines, was a Class 2A school in football and basketball this school year with approximately 400 students in grades 9 through 12. Jefferson is more than three times larger than Clarke, but Deam said he is not concerned about working at a bigger school.

"I like the idea," he said. "It's a lot of hard work, just on a bigger scale. I like a challenge and I'm kind of always looking for the next big thing to do."

McDonnell has hired three key people for Jefferson High School in the last 3 1/2 weeks. He hired Brian Webb from Carroll Keumper as the new football coach on March 17, announced Jason Edwards as the new girls basketball coach on Friday and named Deam on Monday. Deam's appointment is pending approval by the school board.

Webb replaces Jim Womochil, who resigned in January with a 22-game losing streak. Edwards, a counselor at Jefferson and an assistant basketball coach at Cedar Rapids Washington, replaces Larry Niemeyer, who stepped aside last month after 34 years with the J-Hawks.

"All that change is exciting for kids and for the Jefferson community," Deam said. "I hope to be there and lead change and create special programs."

McDonnell described Deam as a hard worker, organized and a team player who reaches out to all students.

"I know that Chris will bring a lot of energy and passion to Jefferson High School," McDonnell said in a news release. "He will help us improve all of our programs and will reach out to students to increase involvement in athletics.

"He understands how school involvement benefits students in the classroom and later in the work place. We are very excited to welcome Chris Deam to the J-Hawk team."

They have a special closet at Osceola Clark that's filled with new shoes and apparel so disadvantaged students can participate in high school activities. The shoes and apparel are given to the kids for them to use and keep.

"We were tired of seeing kids not being able to go out (for activities) because they couldn't afford wrestling shoes or they wouldn't bring a towel every day to shower, things that prohibited kids from going out and experiencing activities," Deam said.

Deam attended Hampton-Dumont High School and qualified for the state wrestling tournament as a senior. He wrestled for three years at Northwestern College in Orange City and has academic degrees from Northwestern College, Nebraska-Omaha and Northwest Missouri State University.

Kibby is leaving Jefferson after this school year to become the new athletic director at Iowa City West High School. Deam said he knows Kibby and has spoken with him.

"I think we're cut out of the same cloth," Deam said. "I like to pride myself on my work ethic. They're going to get somebody who will work."

Antisdel said Deam played a key role in improving facilities at Osceola Clarke. They resurfaced the track, installed new fences at the baseball field, made upgrades in the gym and plan to redo the school's tennis courts.

She described Deam as a leader who holds kids accountable, promotes good sportsmanship, works well with the public and staff, and is highly respected. She said Osceola Clarke has an Ambassadors Program, where students meet and greet officials when they arrive at the school in an effort to improve the image of Clarke students.

"Chris is a very, very hardworking man who cares about kids and has really worked hard at Clarke," she said.