Shipman glad to be back where he started

Alphus Shipman never stopped smiling as he spoke to the Demopolis Rotary Club Wednesday. Maybe it was because he was happy to be in Demopolis, continuing his career in education where it started.

Shipman began his tenure as the principal of U.S. Jones Elementary School last month, coming from Tuscaloosa County. His first job after earning his degree from Alabama State University, where he played football, was as physical education teacher and head coach at John Essex High School.

“I started my career teaching in Demopolis, and it feels great to be back.”

Shipman also could have been smiling because “I fell into a school that’s doing well,” he said. “The staff is awesome.”

The students are, too, he continued. He had been at USJ only a short time when he celebrated his birthday. Every student in the school wished him a happy birthday.

Alabama uses the standardized test scores from every third grade as an accountability marker. USJ ranked No. 21 in the state, but for schools with similar demographics and economics, “We’re first,” he told Rotarians. “That’s teamwork and continuity.”

With 445 students enrolled in the upper elementary school, “We are busting at the seams,” he said. So many students entered the school this year that another third-grade teacher was added.

Besides Marengo County, Shipman has taught in Mobile, Henry and Tuscaloosa counties and with all grade levels. It was while he was in Tuscaloosa that he attended the Bear Bryant Instructional Leadership Program that whetted his interest in school administration.

“Part of my goal is to make an impact on every student that comes through the doors of our building,” he said.

Shipman and his wife Kimberly have three children. The eldest, Marqavius, teaches in Greene County, Alphus Jr. attends Delta State, and daughter Jennifer is on the volleyball team at Demopolis High School. The couple recently welcomed their first grandchild, Malo.