8th Newsletter
New Year, New…? Happy New Year to all! I hope everyone enjoyed their...
TCS Team
Meet the dedicated educators of The Cooper School.
Andy Mason
he/himChoir
Dominick Sanders
he/himComputer Science
Henslee Elliott
she/herArt
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Merle Henkel
Interim Head of School
Mr. Merle Henkel joined The Cooper School as the Director of Finance in July 2024. He assumed the additional role as Interim Head of School after the retirement of Franci Bell on October 25, 2024.
Prior to his appointment at TCS, Merle served as Director of Finance at three schools, most recently at Trinity Presbyterian School in Montgomery, Alabama. In addition, he has served in the Interim Head of School role at two of those schools while continuing his duties in Finance and Operations. Before working in the private school world, Merle had a 28-year career in commercial banking, serving as the CEO of two community banks in Virginia. Merle has been active in charitable and civic leadership roles and involved in fund-raising for schools as a volunteer. He chaired the parent’s annual fund campaign for St. Christopher’s School in Richmond and chaired a Regional Capital Campaign for Wake Forest University.
Merle holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Wake Forest University, and an MBA from the Darden School of Business at The University of Virginia.
Merle has two sons who attended independent schools in Richmond, Virginia. Rob is a fireman/paramedic in Goochland, Virginia and Campbell is a Project Manager for a homebuilder in the Sarasota, Florida area. He is the proud grandfather of six. He enjoys golf, cheering the Wake Forest Deacons (where he played football and baseball) and trying out the many great restaurants in Charleston.
Stacy Peth
she/herYoga
Stephanie Morris
she/herSpanish
