My family has had personal experience with the gracious spirit and actions of Mrs. Jessica Leigh Sheehan Loper, Newton County Elementary School’s Assistant Principal; therefore, I was delighted when she agreed to let me interview her for this column. As expected, I enjoyed our visit and gleaned a lot of good testimony from her story.
Jessica, born September 26, 1984, was born to Ricky and Jackie Bynum Sheehan, of the Little Rock, area. Her mother was a nurse at Riley Hospital for years, then for Dr. Edward Holmes, who just retired. Her father, Ricky, works at the Naval Air Station in Meridian. Jessica has one brother, Josh Sheehan, married to Megan Sims from Laurel. Josh teaches at Conehatta, and Megan teaches at West Lauderdale. They have three children, Zoe, Sammie, and Lily, with one on the way.
In elementary school Jessica played travel softball for Structural Steel for several years before high school, with Coach Johnny Ferguson. They went to different states, and to the World Series, enjoying the camaraderie of the girls on the team. Later in high school, many of the girls had played travel ball, so they had an advantage which served them well as they went on, under Coach Mack Fanning, to win several state championships.
Also, Jessica enjoyed the Beta scrapbooking competitions, winning at State, going on to Disney World for the competition there. She also played the clarinet in the band. In 2003, Jessica Sheehan was honored as she had earned the position of Valedictorian of her senior class of Newton County High School. She graduated from East Central Community College in 2005 before going on to study and graduate from Mississippi State, receiving her B.S. in Elementary Education in 2007, then her Master’s in Elementary Education in 2008. Several years later she earned her specialist degree in Educational Leadership from Mississippi College.
Jessica and Ryan Loper knew each other from school and began dating while at ECCC. She said, “We just took our time” before getting married July 19, 2008. They also took their time, doing some much-enjoyed traveling, before having their baby boy, Jasper, November 11, 2019. They enjoyed many places, but especially Alaska, Hawaii, and the American West. Ryan earned his degree in nursing from East Central Community College and then his BSN from the University of Southern Mississippi. He currently works in the ICU and Cardiovascular Recovery Unit at Anderson’s Hospital.
Ryan is the son of Michael and Pam Loper, of Decatur. He has one sister, Lacy Parker, married to Bubba Parker. They have one son, Hagan. His mother was a beloved school teacher for many years before she passed away of a heart condition in 2018. Ryan’s dad still lives on the home place and enjoys fishing and gardening.
Jessica and Ryan have been married thirteen years. She says of Ryan, “I consider myself to be a laid-back person, but he takes everything in stride. Very meek, but also very strong. He leads our family and is a wonderful provider. We’re a great team.” They are both active in church. Jessica works with the youth and is especially dedicated as Director of the church’s Vacation Bible School, as that is where she was saved as a child.
As for her Christian testimony, she told me, “This is really outside of my comfort zone. But when you called, I really felt like I needed to give my testimony.” She was brought up in Hopewell Baptist Church in Little Rock, where her dad is still a deacon, as well as her brother now. She was saved in VBS at the age of eight in October of 1992. That Thursday morning, when the message is always about Jesus and how He can save you, she says, “I knew I needed Jesus. I went down at that time and gave my heart to Jesus. I’ve been trying my best to follow Him ever since. Of course, there have been ups and downs.”
She continued, “Growing up in high school, I tried my best to follow God, but I did not step out of my comfort zone much. In college I went on a BSU mission trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for the summer. That was the first time I had told my testimony to people outside of my home environment, and it was a huge learning experience. I had had a problem for years because my testimony was not what I considered to be amazing. In Wyoming, I realized it wasn’t about me or my testimony. It was about God and what He did in my life. Through that trip I really grew a lot in my Christian life. God is continually working in my life, and I see Him moving in so many different ways.”
This summer the church hosted a special VBS, and members of the church felt led to get some of the youth that had grown up in the church to be teachers. She said, “This stretched the kids. It was God working through them. I prayed and several of the other ladies were praying that the youth would be able to lead someone to the Lord.” She works with the youth on Sunday nights, so she trained them in how to present the way to be saved, even helping them practice in front of the congregation one night. “Will Hillman, one of the youth, led two of the third and fourth grade girls in his class to the Lord that week,” she reported with joy.
Along those same lines, she continued, “We’ve really seen God moving. Bro. Hal Bates is our interim pastor. As we were preparing for revival, he preached on Psalm 90:16-17. Verse 16 says: “Let Your work appear to Your servants, and Your glory to their children.” That has been my prayer ever since, and since I’ve been praying that prayer, there have been so many ways I could see His hand and see His works.
Jessica’s first teaching position in 2008 was as third grade teacher at Newton County Elementary School. She taught third grade for six years. She also taught fifth grade math and science at NCES for one year before leaving to work for the Mississippi Department of Education as a literacy coach. This travel job took her to several different schools in central Mississippi, helping teachers work to teach literacy.
After one year working in that capacity, Mrs. McDill retired as Assistant Principal of NCES, which left that position open. Jessica told me, “I loved literacy coaching, but this is home! I did a lot of praying about it, and decided the Lord was leading me home. I came back to Newton County Elementary, and I 100% know I’m where I’m where I’m supposed to be.”
This is the beginning of her sixth year, and, as I said at the beginning, our family has seen first-hand how Mrs. Loper has been a loving and capable assistant principal to the students at NCES. I am thankful she has their best interests at heart and obviously depends on the Lord for wisdom and strength to help her in her duties and responsibilities.
Live for Jesus! He’s coming soon!
You may contact me at lagnesrussell@gmail.com or 601-635-3282.
