Sipeses

Kelly Sipes teaches chorus and introduction to piano. She has been teaching on and off for 20 years. She originally taught third grade. Douglas Sipes teaches broadcasting and has been teaching for 29 years. 

They both wanted to become teachers; however, they had other options in mind too.

“At one time, I thought about becoming a school counselor,” K. Sipes said.

“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. However, I’ve always wanted my own business, maybe a gourmet pizza shop,” D. Sipes said.

The Sipeses met through mutual friends at the high school.

“We had so much fun together; it was like we had known each other for years,” K. Sipes said.

“It was love at first sight. We got along so well and had so much fun on our official first date,” D. Sipes said.

They both enjoy doing outdoor activities during their shared summer vacation.

“It gives us a chance to do some of our favorite things together. We love to spend time outdoors hiking. Having the freedom to go whenever we want during the summer is awesome,” K. Sipes said. 

“We get to spend so much time doing things that we enjoy. We have two dogs we spend a lot of time with and we enjoy hiking and being outdoors. One big benefit is that we don’t have to worry about vacation time, although we often find ourselves doing school related work over the summer quite a bit,” D. Sipes said.

The Sipeses often see each other during lunch. However, they also occasionally see each other during other points of the day.

“We usually see each other at lunch, but not too much other than that. We sometimes ride to and from work together,” K. Sipes said.

“We usually only see each other during lunch, but sometimes our schedules allow us to see each other during prep periods or when my students are doing projects related to music classes. Lunchtime has always been fun for us, just as with the students,” D. Sipes said.

The Sipeses both teach performance based classes, which occasionally relate to each other.

“It’s nice to be at so many of the same events–he and his students often record my concerts, we both work football games, etc.” K. Sipes said.

“It’s nice to be together at school and athletic events where my students are taping and my wife’s students are performing,” D. Sipes said.

The Sipeses have shared some struggles over the years.

“We usually have the same busy times of the year. It’s a challenge when both of us are being pulled in so many different directions,” K. Sipes said.

“The biggest challenge is trying to leave work at school, and as with everyone, the last year has been super stressful for us due to the nature of what we teach,” D. Sipes said.

The Sipeses are very supportive of each other.

“We have a good sense of what is going on with each other, since we have similar jobs. It’s nice to have someone there that is always supportive,” K. Sipes said.

“It’s nice, because if one of us needs something it’s easy to contact one another and know that the other is there for you,” D. Sipes said.