Alumni Update: Jill DeBord ’97

Jill DeBord (née Connor), originally from Colfax, North Carolina, graduated in 1997 with a B.S. in elementary education. Currently, she is a sixth-grade teacher for Rowan/Salisbury Schools in Salisbury, North Carolina, teaching English language arts. 

“I chose Appalachian as a seventh grade middle schooler visiting campus with a friend from my church who was a student there that year. I fell in love with the campus and never even thought of going anywhere but Boone!”

DeBord loved her time at Appalachian in the Reich College of Education. “Through the programming and support I received at App State and the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program I had a firm foundation and support system in place as I began my career over 20 years ago.” 

Impacting Education in Her Community

DeBord is making an impact on education in her community. As a member of her church’s women’s group, she provides programming to educate her church members on educational issues.

“At this point in my career, I advocate for public education and our schools and staff at every opportunity,” she noted. “I seek to educate younger educators in their role in advocacy for their profession.”

“I have also become focused on equity in my classroom and in my lessons,” added DeBord. “I have tried to model anti-racism with my students and encourage them to think through how things are and whether it seems to be right or wrong to them, as well as how we can fix it in ourselves.”

Jill DeBord
Published: Mar 8, 2021 11:50am

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