Until last January, Assistant Principal Matt Davis was a biology teacher. But when a position opened as an administrator, Davis made a familiar leap from the classroom to school leadership.

Davis’s career includes time in the Marine Corps, as a teacher, as a coach, as an assistant principal and as a principal. 

Davis has five children and two grandkids. He’s been married for almost 27 years to his high school sweetheart.

Davis loves sports like baseball and basketball but also enjoys weightlifting. He says that he doesn’t have many hobbies anymore but the ones he does have he enjoys.

“I know this might sound crazy, but I love helping people. I love fixing things,” Davis said.

As a Marine, he was stationed all over America, from California to North Carolina. Students often read his military stories.  

Davis’s teaching career started at Spartanburg High. He taught there for two years. He had an interview and soon began working at Broome High School. He taught there for seven years becoming an assistant principal.

During this time, he was in graduate school at the University of South Carolina. 

For his class, he had to do an interview at Byrnes to be an assistant principal. He didn’t really think about being a principal, but his superintendent offered him a job at Cowpens Middle School.

He worked there as an assistant principal for seven years and soon became principal for two years.

Davis soon noticed how he wasn’t spending as much time with his family.

He really enjoyed the time he had spent at Cowpens Middle School, but it wasn’t the best option for him and his family.

“Loved the job, loved the kids, loved the people there,” Davis said. 

Then he decided that he wanted to be back in the classroom again.

Davis had a choice between Campobello-Gramling or Chapman.

“I had prayed about it for a long time, and I knew this was where I was meant to be,” Davis said.

He asked where they needed him, and ever since then, he’s been at Chapman.

Guidance Secretary Allison Mathis states how she sees Davis on a faculty level and personally.

“Mr. Davis is a breath of fresh air to our administration team,” she said. “With his military background, he’s very intense and doesn’t have a lot of room for excuses but he also knows how to love students and build relationships. From a staff perspective, Mr. Davis is a blessing that supports us any time we have any issues wherever the matter may be.”

“But like I tell everyone, anywhere I’ve been, I’ve been very fortunate to have just good people,” Davis said.