Ed Davis recently finished his first year as principal of Chapin High School and his twenty-fifth year in education. Chosen in June of 2023, after four years as principal at Chapin Intermediate School, Davis has traveled many roads in the field of education.
Along the way, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication, a Social Studies Teaching Certification from the University of Michigan, a Master of Education Administration degree from Northeastern Illinois University, and an Education Specialist degree from the University of South Carolina.
Davis was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He attended schools there, including a Magnet Program at Martin Luther King High School where he enrolled in the International Center for Studies and Commerce program. He also ran track and played football. Davis graduated all-American and was heavily recruited by universities. His strong grades and impressive football record earned him a full scholarship to study at the University of Michigan, where he studied hard, played football, and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication.
Davis tried out for a pro team after graduation. He signed as a free agent for the Detroit Lions and attended their summer camp. Although he did not make the team, he is grateful for the experience.
Davis returned to the University of Michigan to earn his teaching certification while also serving as a graduate assistant. As part of the program, he was assigned a student in an afterschool program. His profound and positive connection with that student crystallized his calling as a teacher.
During that time, Davis met his future wife, Danielle. He moved to Chicago, where Danielle had been accepted for her post-graduate program. The couple soon married, and Davis’ teaching career took off when he was hired at William Howard Taft High School on the northeast side of Chicago where he taught Social Studies and seventh and eighth grade gifted students in the school’s new Magnet Program. He says, “I taught both Middle and High school in the same building on the same day because of that program.” Throughout his career, he sometimes “got the itch” to see what else was ahead, and he was always ready.
In 2009, Davis and his family moved to the Ballentine area and eventually to Chapin. Davis says he’s left each assignment on his way to the next with positive and happy memories, leading him to where he is now. “Chapin is a chance for me to serve a great community,” he says. The couple attends Brookland Baptist Church in West Columbia and has two children, Micah and Caleb.