Detailed info

Born in Michigan, raised in Rochester, New York, Dr. Jason Van Heukelum has worked in the field of education for 25 years, including three years as the Director of an International School in La Paz, Bolivia. His experience includes serving as a math teacher, coach, high school assistant principal, middle school principal, and deputy superintendent – all in North Carolina.  Dr. Van Heukelum believes that great schools use a combination of high expectations and high community engagement to maximize student potential in a nurturing and caring environment. Dr. Van Heukelum led his first school to be a most improved school in the state of North Carolina and was named the Middle School Principal of the Year for the Iredell-Statesville Schools. Additionally, the teacher effectiveness rating for the Cabarrus County School district was #1 in the Charlotte region and top 15 in the state of North Carolina for three straight years under his leadership as the Deputy Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction. Over the last fifteen years, Dr. Van Heukelum has secured over $20 million in grants for innovative ideas that meet the emerging needs of our future society. This includes education programs like Multi-tiered Systems of Support, International Baccalaureate programs, Spanish and Mandarin immersion programs, STEM programs, computer science immersion, high school career academies, and new teacher career pathways. Currently, Dr. Van Heukelum is dedicated to the implementation of the Winchester Public Schools’ Strategic Plan – Empower 2025. Combining his experience from the classroom, school and division level, Dr. Van Heukelum is actively leading the Winchester Public Schools to embrace the pride and tradition of Winchester along with innovative thinking for the future. Dr. Van Heukelum earned a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from Cedarville University in Ohio, a Master of School Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Doctor of Education from Vanderbilt University.