I serve as IEP team leader and chairman of the Special Education Department at Jesse Carson High School. It has been both a challenge and great fun to have been involved in establishing the first new high school in Rowan County in nearly 45 years. We have assembled a fine staff at JCHS for our fifth year of operations. We look forward to improving our services for students and parents during the 2010-2011 school year.

My experience in working with children and adults with developmental disabilities stretches over 30 years. I have been a proud employee of the Rowan-Salisbury School system since 1998, serving as a teacher at South Rowan High School and now at Jesse Carson. I also served as golf coach at South Rowan.

Kings Mountain, NC is my hometown. I graduated from Kings Mountain High School and Lenoir Rhyne College. My undergraduate degree is in history. I have done graduate work at Lenoir Rhyne College, the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, and at East Carolina University. In May of 2007, I was awarded a Graduate degree in Assistive Technology from East Carolina University. I am currently a candidate for a Masters degree in learning disabilities from East Carolina University. I am also working to become a National Board Certified Teacher.  I am co-teaching in the Social Studies department this year.  My first semester schedule is as follows:

1st period-Civics with Mr. Ryan Chandler.

2nd period-Planning period

3rd period-CATS

4th period-United States History with Mr. Chris Walters

5th period-United State History with Mr. James Pope

Tutoring and remediation in the social studies offerings will be offered later in the semester.  Mr. Pope, Mr. Chandler, and I are available for tutoring and retesting on a regular basis.  Please contact me for help with either United States History and Civics.

Please contact me through this site or call, (704) 855-5031 and leave a message. This is a direct line to my office.  My e-mail address is horddf@rss.k12.nc.us.  E-mail is the most efficient way of communicating with me.