Bliss

The North Tama County Community School District will welcome a new administrator for the 2021-22 school year.

At their June 21 board meeting, the North Tama Board of Education approved the hiring of Jeromiah Bliss as North Tama’s next 7-12 Principal.

Finalist interviews for the position were conducted June 16, with candidates being interviewed by panels of district stakeholders including high school students, staff, secondary parents, community representatives and school board representatives.

The hire comes shortly after the resignation of Andrew Meister who had been North Tama’s 7-12 Principal and Activities Director since 2018.

In a slightly adjusted role, Bliss will serve only as the 7-12 Principal when he begins work in early July.

North Tama teacher and football coach Taylor Wurth will shift from his teaching role to be the activities director and strength and conditioning program coordinator next school year. Wurth will also remain as North Tama’s head football coach.

Bliss currently works as the Middle School Student Advocate and Athletic Director at Hampton-Dumont Middle School in Hampton, Iowa. This position functions much like an assistant principal, dealing with behavior and attendance issues and implementing positive behavior strategies at the middle school level. His prior experiences include serving as a Level III Behavior Disorder teacher and as a strength and conditioning coach and middle school English/Language Arts teacher.

Bliss is a graduate of Clarksville High School and Upper Iowa University, and will soon complete a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Northwestern College.

Speaking about his priorities and values within education, Bliss said he believes support through relationship building is a key to success.

“One of my biggest goals as we begin here is to help grow leaders and and see people succeed,” Bliss said. “Relationships are the biggest piece for me. People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care. When you have solid relationships, you can do your best in supporting those around you, and that’s when good things can happen.”

Bliss said he was drawn to the Traer community as it reminded him of the small town atmosphere he grew up with in Clarksville. He and his wife Melissa and their two daughters will close on a home in Traer this summer and are excited to get to know people around the district and within the community.

Life for the Bliss family has revolved around education for a number of years as Melissa has been a teacher for over a decade at Hampton-Dumont and Clarksville schools. Daughters Sydnee, 12, and Olivia, 10, are also very active in a variety of sports and fine arts programs.

In his free time, Bliss enjoys playing bass guitar in the Cedar Valley classic rock cover band The Chocolate Crackers, weightlifting, and riding his Harley-Davidson.