craigdailypress.com

Moffat County High School was without an activities director for all of two days. That's when Jeff Simon stepped in to take control of the position and bring MCHS sports a little closer to the community.

When Jim Loughran retired from the position of activities director, MCHS Principal Jane Krogman had a quality candidate to take his place.

"The fact that there weren't a lot of applicants says that this is a difficult job," Krogman said. "It is to (Simon's) credit that he was willing to step into this role."

Krogman said that when she looked for someone to fill the role, she didn't want someone from outside the community.

"We were looking for someone from within the school district. Someone from the outside might have had a hard time," Krogman said.

Simon was a Bulldog and graduated from Moffat County in 1992. He earned a degree in secondary education from Regis University in Denver.

Simon taught at Palisade High School for two years. He then took a teaching job at MCHS five years ago.

While a teacher in Palisade and Craig, Simon coached boys and girls basketball and football.

"He has a wide variety of experience, in terms of coaching," Krogman said.

Simon said he has connections in sports community, as well.

"Growing up (in Craig) I got to know a lot of the coaches," Simon said.

He said he is excited to work with each of the sports programs, instead of just one. In the classroom, he's taught a little bit of everything.

"I like world history and U.S. history," Simon said. " I find it to be the most interesting. I like to see why things happen the way they do."

Simon said this year he will continue teaching geography and health, in addition to serving as activities director.

Krogman said Simon is a dedicated and organized teacher.

"He is one of those people who cares about the total school environment," she said. "He looks at the big picture."

Krogman said that those qualities, combined with Simon's willingness to learn and work closely with the Craig community, made him a perfect match for the job.

"I want to get the community as close to the athletes as possible," Simon said. "I hope to get the community and high school together on some different things."

As activities director, Simon will be responsible for organizing all athletics and activities. He will be in charge of paperwork, scheduling, hiring of coaches and budgeting.

Krogman said that during the summer, Simon mostly will be taking care of last-minute scheduling.

"Right now, he's getting his feet on the ground," she said.

Simon said that he planned to become an activities director toward the end of his career.

"The opportunity came earlier than expected," he said. "But I sure welcomed it."

Dominic Graziano can be reached at 824-7031, ext. 209, or dgraziano@craigdailypress.com.