Our Assistant Superintendent, Jason Van Heukelum, comes to Cabarrus County after spending the last two years as the principal of Mount Mourne School, an IB World School with the Iredell- Statesville Schools. While principal of Mt. Mourne, he also served as the district director of International Baccalaureate education, overseeing three IB schools within the district.
Most of Jason's career has been with the Iredell-Statesville Schools, including three years of teaching and seven years of administration. Jason's previous positions include being the principal of Troutman Middle School where he led the school to be a top 25 "most improved" school in the state of North Carolina and was named the Middle School Principal of the Year in his first year as principal. In addition to public education, Jason took a three-year hiatus to South America, where he was the director of Highlands International School in La Paz, Bolivia. Jason was the first educational director of Highlands International School, and under his leadership, the school doubled in size, achieved initial accreditation with SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools), and purchased property for a future campus.
Jason has a clear vision of what he expects for the future of Cabarrus County Schools and is committed to seeing it through to completion. If you spend any time with him you'll be sure to hear the phrase "rigorously challenge every student." This phrase is the core belief that he brings to the job and he looks forward to seeing that fulfilled in the years ahead. He believes that great schools use a combination of academic press and high community to challenge students in a nurturing environment.
Jason's educational background include a Masters Degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in School Administration and a Bachelors degree from Cedarville University in Mathematics and Secondary Education. Jason recently began his doctoral work at Vanderbilt University.
