Chipman highlights community in video trend
By Jessica Brown
A social media trend featuring well-known Eisenhower Elementary School Principal Tim Chipman has been gaining popularity this summer.
It all started when The Soap Co. Coffee House owner Abbi Kafer first recruited Chipman. “I saw a post on Instagram about the trend and started thinking of which of our regular customers would be fun to do it with,” she says.
The concept of the trend is to reference someone (in these cases, Chipman) as a customer who takes a commonly used polite response and turns it upside down.
Essentially, the trend highlights the universal social awkwardness of mindlessly replying “You, too” when a service worker or person otherwise says something that does not call for it.
Known as the “When You Accidentally Say ‘You Too’” TikTok trend, several local entities have been featuring Chipman on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram in their own parody videos since early June.
On June 1, Kafer posted a video of her serving Chipman a Soap Co. signature drink, to which he tells her to enjoy the rest of her shift. When Kafer replies, “You, too,” Chipman seems to take her literally. In the next frames, he can be seen making drinks, waiting on customers and dancing in sunglasses with Kafer to the song “Safe and Sound” by Capital Cities.
In a follow-up video posted at the end of July on The Soap Co. Coffee House Facebook page, Kafer and Chipman can be found lip-syncing to a Beyoncé song with the caption “How it felt starting a local trend with a local celebrity.”
That was because other businesses and organizations became eager to feature Chipman with the trend to gain “views and likes” — and for the community fun. Chipman has participated in close to twenty video posts.
Throughout the rest of June, July and so far August, Chipman’s dedication to bringing joy and recognition to the fellow citizens of Jacksonville is very evident.
For example, after the initial post about his role as barista at Soap Co. was seen, Julie Rowe, owner of 37 South Boutique & Makery, asked Chipman to make a similar video with her. In that scenario, he tells Rowe to enjoy the rest of her shift. She immediately realizes her faux pas after responding, “You, too.”
But Chipman seems happy to oblige as he next appears in the video waving out the window to passersby, assisting a customer (daughter Ruth) with picking out jewelry and dry mopping the store’s floor — all on “his shift” at the shop.
A BIT ABOUT THE ‘CELEBRITY’ HIMSELF
Found on multiple boards and committees around the community, Chipman has served in the Jacksonville School District since he graduated from Illinois College in 2001.
He started out his career teaching students at the then Turner Junior High and as a teacher at Jacksonville High School for over a decade. He was principal at South Elementary School for five years and is now the principal at Eisenhower Elementary Schools, a position he’s held for nearly four years.
“I’ve felt so honored to say I’ve worked at the middle school level, the high school level and now the elementary,” he shares. Notedly, his mother, Janet Chipman, and brother, Andrew Chipman, both have careers in education as well. “My mother works at Routt [Catholic High School] and Andrew works for Chicago Public Schools.”
Well known and well regarded in the community, Tim Chipman has been recognized for years as having an easy, genuine smile and readiness to help, which he credits his father with. “He always had a smile,” Chipman remembers of his father, Bob Chipman. The elder Chipman ran Chipman Realtors & Appraisers until his passing two years ago.
Describing his father as full of cheer, Tim Chipman reminisces that his dad would often wear a bow tie as part of everyday attire. “I’ve heard it said that a man who wears a bow tie cares enough to put one on, but doesn’t take himself so seriously he won’t,” he adds.
Through the social media trend, Chipman hopes he is channeling his own sense of humor in an attempt to show support for local organizations.
THE POWER OF THE TREND
“I’m gaining all this info about these places that I’ve admired forever,” he shares. “Suddenly I’m standing in the kitchen at Proud Richard’s or at Leo’s [Pizza] … or I’m back behind the counter at the [Jacksonville Public] library,” he says, adding that he has a profound respect for what those in the service industry do. “It’s been a thrill for me and I love it.”
His aim is to give a quiet nod to any featured business in the subsequent business’ trend video. “I like to bring an artifact from the previous business to the next,” he says.
The videos help lend a bit of free advertising for those that just happen to be some of Chipman’s favorites,
such as bringing a cup with a Soap Co. sticker to 37 South Boutique, and then bringing a purchase bag from 37 South to the recording for First Presbyterian Church’s trend video.
The same situation in different scenarios abounds in several more posts. In each one, Chipman has a short conversation with a different person, all of whom end the exchange with the phrase “You, too.”
From taking those opportunities to become a Pilates teacher, a library attendant, a museum tour guide or a server at a local restaurant, the spotlight is truly on those who fill those positions.
Chipman says that the phrase can be considered a blessing. “We offer blessings to each other,” he shares. “So if you offer me a blessing, it’s only appropriate that I wish it back.”
In one of the videos — and in the spirit of blessing — Chipman takes on the role of pastor at First Presbyterian Church, where he is a lifelong member. After wishing the Rev. Jonathan Warren good luck on the day’s sermon and receiving the pastor’s reply of “You, too,” Chipman can be seen lighting candles behind the altar, delivering a sermon, singing praise and worship, and even spending time with parishioners.
“You too” trend videos of Chipman trading places to show livestock at the Morgan County Fair or of him switching roles with a hair salon employee so that he’s cutting or styling hair are not the first time Chipman has used online videos to bring encouragement.
During the COVID-19 pandemic when he was principal at South Elementary, he posted videos of himself playing piano and banjo while singing or reading books. He would then post the videos on the web-based learning platform Google Classrooms.
“I wanted to connect to the students, since they couldn’t come to school and see their friends,” Chipman shares.
TRENDING NON-TRENDER
The irony of the situation is not lost on him, as Chipman reveals he isn’t personally involved with any social media platforms. He is flattered by the notion of being a local celebrity, as the videos featuring him on social media gain more attention.
“My career has been pretty outward facing and public,” he acknowledges, recognizing the benefit of having a visible persona.
“You trade a lot of anonymity but there can be a lot of joy in that,” he finishes.
Chipman resides with his wife of almost 15 years, Stephanie, and daughter Ruth in Jacksonville.
