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We’re Here to Support You and Your School

As a school leader, it can be tough to navigate the daily challenges and complexities that come with the role. It’s easy to feel isolated and overwhelmed, especially when faced with new and unfamiliar situations. That’s why having a support system in place is crucial for success.

At The Society for Classical Learning, we understand the importance of having a strong support network to lean on when you need it most. Our team of experts is dedicated to providing you with the help and resources you need to build a healthy, thriving school.

Who We Are

We Are Classical

The SCL is rooted in The Great Tradition, using its wisdom and virtue to raise up the next generation.

We Are Christian

The SCL is grounded in the historic Christian faith as expressed in the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds.

We Are Leaders

The SCL is the leader in the classical Christian education movement by focusing on guiding school leaders.

Eric Cook is the President of the Society for Classical Learning (SCL), an organization dedicated to fostering human flourishing through the advancement of classical Christian education. He provides executive leadership for SCL, overseeing the organization's vision, strategy, thought leadership, and fundraising efforts. As President, Eric plays a pivotal role in the classical Christian school movement, seeking to revive timeless principles to reform education, renew culture, and promote human flourishing.

Over his time at SCL, Eric has made leadership development a top priority, equipping leaders to serve the classical Christian school movement. In 2021, he worked alongside SCL colleagues and Dr. Michael Lindsay, then President of Gordon College, to design and launch the first Masters program specifically tailored for classical Christian school leaders. The program is graduating cohorts of leaders filling key positions in the movement. Eric is the Co-Director of the program as well as an adjunct professor.

In his role as SCL President, Eric also leads the Arete Fellows, a group of 25 seasoned heads of school from across the country who provide feedback, wisdom, and insight to Eric and the SCL leadership team. This important advisory committee is mentoring younger leaders, working closely on SCL projects, and providing leadership for the movement’s most challenging issues and questions. In 2024, SCL launched its inaugural year accreditation program largely formed by the input and participation of the Arete Fellows.

As a consultant to dozens of schools across the United States, Eric has worked with school leaders to grow thriving schools, mature their governance models, conduct strategic planning sessions, and equip their key leaders. In 2020, Eric developed a head of school coaching program specifically designed for classical Christian school leaders. The program focuses on ensuring that wisdom and virtue are not merely theoretical commitments, but embodied both in the character and daily decisions of prudent leaders.

Eric works collaboratively with leaders and organizations across a vast network. He is a board member of the Classic Learning Test, an advisory board member with the Spreading Hope Network, an advisory board member of the Classical Liberal Education Network in England, and an advisory board member of the Center for Education and Public Policy at the University of Austin. Eric writes and speaks on a variety of topics from governance to philosophy to pedagogy. He has presented at numerous universities, conferences, and events over his time as President of SCL, both in the U.S. and abroad.

Previously, Eric was the Head of School at Covenant Classical School in Fort Worth, Texas from 2009 to 2022. During his leadership tenure, the school grew from 180 students to well over 400. Covenant is currently one of the leading schools in Fort Worth and the classical Christian movement. The school has full enrollment, a beautiful classically designed campus, and a dynamic leadership team.

Over Eric’s educational career he has taught history, philosophy, apologetics, thesis, world religions, reformation theology, rhetoric, political science, psychology, and civics. He also developed numerous programs, including a Philosophy Club, Civic Society, and a variety of reading groups.

Eric received an Ed.S. in Classical School Leadership from Gordon College in 2023. He also holds an M.A. in Instructional Leadership from Northern Kentucky University and a B.A. in Education from Transylvania University. He started his career in public school as a history teacher and administrator before moving into classical Christian education as Upper School Head at Faith Christian School in Roanoke, Virginia in 2007. Eric and his wife, Liz, have six children and live in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Our President

Eric Cook is the President of the Society for Classical Learning (SCL), an organization dedicated to fostering human flourishing through the advancement of classical Christian education. He provides executive leadership for SCL, overseeing the organization’s vision, strategy, thought leadership, and fundraising efforts. As President, Eric plays a pivotal role in the classical Christian school movement, seeking to revive timeless principles to reform education, renew culture, and promote human flourishing.

Eric received an Ed.S. in Classical School Leadership from Gordon College in 2023. He also holds an M.A. in Instructional Leadership from Northern Kentucky University and a B.A. in Education from Transylvania University. He started his career in public school as a history teacher and administrator before moving into classical Christian education as Upper School Head at Faith Christian School in Roanoke, Virginia in 2007. Eric and his wife, Liz, have six children and live in Charlottesville, Virginia.

SCL Team

Chief Business Officer/Executive Editor

Angie W. Copetillo

Angie first discovered classical Christian education as a young law school student and mother, and has worked in its service ever since. Drawn to the meaningfulness, time, and childhood influence of education, over the last 25 years, she has founded a cottage school, taught many humanities, logic, and rhetoric courses, and co-founded and served as Head of School of The Habersham School in Savannah, GA.

Early in life, she moved West from her native home of Savannah, GA, where she served as a Congressional press intern, met her husband, and became a newspaper editor. From there, utilizing her newfound love of the Southwest, she became Director of Communication for the Tucson Chamber of Commerce and later moved back to her home on the Georgia Coast to raise a family.

While just beginning to research and read about classical education, Angie worked as a legal market analyst with an international consulting firm and enjoyed working in communication and events for political affairs, including the Conservative Political Action Conference. She also clocked many hours behind the scenes in her family’s restaurant franchise businesses.

After years in school leadership and the family business and raising four boys, Angie and her husband made plans for a sabbatical and early semi-retirement. She spent a year writing and traveling the country full-time with her husband and 10-year-old daughter, whom they classically home-schooled. Now a recent widow, Angie enjoys supporting classical education through her work with SCL while traveling as often as possible. She loves to read, write, hike national park trails, discover new places, meet new people, cook Senoran food, coach a spirited game of little league basketball, and be anywhere where family is gathered.

Director of Leadership Training and Collaborative School Initiatives/Editor

Starrla Fowler

In her role as the Director of Leadership Development and Collaborative School Initiatives for the Society for Classical Learning, Starrla is able to combine two big passions—developing leaders and expanding collaborative schools across the United States. Prior to joining SCL, Starrla and her husband were co-founders of Veritas Academy in Austin, Texas, and over the course of 18 years Starrla served in various capacities including Academic Dean, Academic Team Chair, Grammar School Head, and School of Logic Head. She continues to serve on the Veritas Academy School Board and its Governance and Nominations committee.

While at Veritas, Starrla developed curricula and academic programs, trained hundreds of teachers, served on accreditation teams for similar schools, and helped many classical, collaborative schools launch and grow. She is passionate about Kingdom building through the expansion of classical, Christian schools; and after receiving her Masters in Leadership through Gordon College, shifted her focus to developing programs for training future Christian school leaders.

Starrla and her husband, Jef (the longtime Veritas HOS), are the parents of three adult children, all graduates of Veritas Academy. After living in the Texas Hill Country for nearly 30 years, Starrla and Jef now enjoy living close to their adult children in Memphis, Tennessee.

Director of Accreditation

Dr. Brian Polk

Brian has been in classical education for 17 years serving in various capacities ranging from "science" teacher to administrator and board chair. With a desire to grow as a professional educator, he returned to school in 2015 to pursue a doctorate in educational leadership at Vanderbilt University's Peabody School. Graduating in 2018, this work ignited a passion to study Classical Christian schools for the purpose of helping them to improve as they seek to build the Kingdom of God. In addition to his work with SCL, Brian directs the Center for Christian Classical Education at College of the Ozarks in Pointe Lookout, Missouri.
Director of Membership & Strategic Partnerships

Lauren Key

Lauren Key began working for SCL in the fall of 2022. She brings over 10 years of Administrative experience in Classical Education including Director of Operations, Director of Admissions, and Director of Fine Arts: The Habersham School in Savannah, GA. Lauren’s focus on our team is operations, customer experience, sponsorship and membership. She enjoys combining her love of customer service with her love of Classical Education. She lives in Savannah with her husband and three girls.
Adam Copetillo
Digital Marketing/Content Editor

Adam Copetillo

Digital Experience Producer

Grant Wiley

Events Coordinator

Sarah Spencer

Sarah Spencer has been in education for almost twenty years. She has served in a variety of capacities: public high school history teacher, classical Christian fourth grade teacher, classical Christian Grammar School dean, and most recently homeschooling her own children in the classical Christian tradition. She is an army wife and mother of four. She enjoys hosting friends, family, and neighbors; reading and discussing great books; cooking and eating delicious food; spending time alone in the Word; and singing. She is energized by the good work being done in the classical, Christian movement, as we consider together what it means to raise up the next generation with a love for truth, beauty, and goodness.
Executive Assistant

Marissa Yanaga

Marissa has served as SCL’s executive assistant since 2016. “I truly believe in SCL’s mission and vision to help classical Christian education thrive, and how it is making an impact in the next generation and society as a whole,” Marissa says. “SCL has ministered to my family and me in numerous ways, and it’s been an honor to be a part of this movement in a small way.”

Prior to SCL, Marissa served as the program director for the Alec & Belle Waterhouse Lecture Series in Honolulu, HI where she organized conferences and seminars for nearly 10 years. She also has held administrative positions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in the President’s Office. Marissa is married to Shelby, and they have three children who attend Covenant Classical School in Fort Worth, TX. Born and raised in Honolulu, HI, Marissa enjoys traveling, reading, and volunteering in her daughters’ American Heritage Girls’ troop.

Special Projects Manager

Sara Hirschey

SCL Board

Board Chair

Leslie Moeller

Peter Bauer
Board Member

Peter Baur

Peter Baur has been involved in independent education for nearly 40 years and has held roles in several environments, including start-up Classical Christian schools and “elite” private schools with over 150 years of history. Peter has served in nearly every capacity, including PR/Marketing, curriculum development, head of school, development/fundraising, special events, college guidance, admission, advisory, teaching and coaching. In addition, Peter has led schools and churches in strategic planning, has presented at Circe, ACCS and SCL, and been a featured speaker at schools around the nation. Peter is known for his ability to articulate Classical Christian education in a simple, practical manner. Peter is the only SCL Fellow elected prior to becoming a head of school.
Board Member

Kevin Clark

Kevin Clark, DLS, is the founder and President of The Ecclesial Schools Initiative, Inc. He believes his vocation as a Christian educator to be in service of the Church and the family as they seek to train children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. For Kevin, education is not simply a matter of academic preparation; it’s about seeing Christ’s Church flourish as a new generation of men and women bring the wisdom, beauty and justice of New Creation to bear for God’s glory and the life of the world.

Kevin’s Christian Classical Education experience spans 17 years, including 15 at The Geneva School, Winter Park, FL. During this time he taught broadly across the upper school—logic, classical guitar, Old and New Testament survey, New Testament Greek, rhetoric—though Christian philosophy and theology were his main interests and perennial areas of teaching. He later assumed a leadership position at the school, serving five years as academic dean of The Geneva School before leaving to found The Ecclesial Schools Initiative.

Also active at the national level, Kevin has ten years of leadership as a fellow for The Society for Classical Learning, providing academic leadership to Christian classical schools throughout the country by hosting retreats and speaking at conferences. He also joined the Templeton Honors College at Eastern University in 2018 as a teaching fellow in their new Master of Arts in Classical Teaching program.

Board Member

Russ Gregg

Russ Gregg (B.A., Global Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is co-founder and has served as Head of School since Hope Academy’s founding in 2000. He has been a resident of the Phillips neighborhood since 1994. In 1999, he was an administrator at a Christian School in Edina, and quit his job to help lay the groundwork for a Christian school for his urban neighbors. Russ and his wife Phyllis, who teaches 3rd grade at Hope Academy, live four blocks away from the school. They have three grown children. Russ serves on the Board of Directors of the Society for Classical Learning.
Board Member

Travis Koch

Travis Koch is headmaster of St. Stephen's Academy in Beaverton, Oregon, where he has served since 2016. He loves to repair and improve neglected things such as watches, cars, buildings, recipes, curriculum, and school policy manuals. He holds a B.A in history from Stanford and an M.A. from Yale. When he's not reading or answering school-related questions, you'll probably find him in the garden or kitchen with his wife, or in the garage fixing something, or in the field chasing bumblebees with one of his five children.
Board Member

David Diener

Dr. David Diener works at Hillsdale College where he is an Assistant Professor of Education. Previous experience includes fifteen years in K-12 private education, eleven of those in administration and eight as headmaster of classical Christian schools. He also is a Fellow on the Alcuin Fellowship National Council and Director of the Alcuin Fellowship Midwest Chapter, serves on the Board of Directors for the Society for Classical Learning and the Board of Academic Advisors for the Classic Learning Test, is a member of the National Council of Classical Educators, and offers consulting services through Classical Academic Press. He is the author of Plato: The Great Philosopher-Educator and has published articles on Plato, Kierkegaard, and various topics in philosophy of education. He also serves as the series editor for Classical Academic Press’ series Giants in the History of Education and is an associate editor for the journal Principia: a Journal of Classical Education. He holds a BA in Philosophy and Ancient Languages from Wheaton College as well as an MA in Philosophy, an MS in History and Philosophy of Education, and a dual PhD in Philosophy and Philosophy of Education from Indiana University.
Board Member

Derek Lewis

Mr. Lewis co-heads the Business Services and Specialty Distribution Groups. He joined Harris Williams in 2000 and has advised clients on a variety of mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments. From 2002 through 2004, Mr. Lewis was in London helping launch Harris Williams' international efforts.
Board Member

Neil Anderson

Neil Anderson has been the head of school at Trinity Classical School (Houston) since June 2010. The school was founded in 2009 and Mr. Anderson was hired as its first head. TCS is a PreK-12th Christian, classical, and collaborative school with 700 students. Mr. Anderson has a genuine passion for education to the glory of God, through the liberal arts. After graduating from Wheaton College with a degree in Biblical Studies, he served as an associate pastor and worship leader at a church in west Chicago. With a growing family of four children, Neil and his wife Marian moved back to his hometown of Houston. Prior to joining Trinity Classical School, Neil worked at a local classical school, serving as a teacher, department chair, and Dean of Students. During these years, Neil developed a great zeal for classical education and completed a Master’s of Liberal Arts degree at Houston Baptist University. Neil is passionate about poetry, classical literature, theology, carpentry, coffee, hiking, running, and children. He also has a dog that he is not passionate about.
Board Member

Craig Hefner

Craig Hefner serves as the Head of School at Covenant School in Huntington, West Virginia, where he has served since 2018. Craig has a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Wheaton College, an M.Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a B.A. from Cedarville University. Craig is the author of Kierkegaard and the Changelessness of God: A Modern Defense of Classical Immutability, published in 2023.He lives in Huntington, West Virginia with his wife, Rachel, and their sons, Elliott and Adler.
Board Member

Elizabeth Butler

Elizabeth Butler dedicated over a decade to Veritas School in Richmond, VA, serving as a parent of 2 students, a board member, and eventually as board chairman, leveraging her extensive experience in strategic planning from her tenure at McKinsey & Co. and WebMD. Because Elizabeth’s prayer is that all children will be able to meet their God given potential in a country that keeps them safe and protects their freedoms, she is committed to strong conservative leadership at every level of government. She holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an engineering degree from Auburn University. Elizabeth and her husband, Ron, are active members of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
Board Member

Hayden Johnson

Hayden Johnson is a strong advocate for classical education. He was called into education fulltime in 2014 after a twenty-year corporate career leading technology and marketing teams around the world. He served for nine years on the Board of Directors at Grace Academy in Georgetown, Texas after which he was asked to serve full time as their Athletic Director. He also taught for several years in central Texas public high schools. Hayden and his wife Tracey began their careers as U.S. Army officers.

Both of his children attended Grace Academy beginning in kindergarten providing them the classical Christian education not afforded their parents. Hayden holds a B.S. from the United States Military Academy, an MBA from The University of Texas and a Master of Information Technology from Virginia Tech.

When he is not talking to parents, friends and patrons about the transformative power of classical Christian education, you can often find him preparing for Grace athletic events, training on his own or enjoying the Texas Hill Country with his family.

Core Values

At SCL, we are committed to joyfully serving Christ as the core calling and purpose of our work.

At SCL, we believe the great work of CCE should be broadly accessible.

At SCL, we believe that our work is to serve the movement by showing grace, love, and tangible acts of hospitality.

Education With Purpose

The Society for Classical Learning (SCL) has existed since the mid-1990s to facilitate and encourage thinking and discussion among professionals associated with Christ-centered education in the liberal arts tradition.

The Society provides a forum where educators can share wisdom, experience, and ideas as they deepen their understanding of classical theory into everyday, real-world education.

The SCL is committed to historic Christianity as expressed in the Nicene Creed and to exploring the relationship of Christ to the broader culture.

Mission & Vision

The Society for Classical Learning exists to foster
human flourishing by making classical Christian
education thrive. The ancient world has much to offer
us today in thinking about how we might best teach
and encourage young people toward virtue, wisdom,
and truth.

The SCL works together with classicists, teachers, and
lifelong learners to ensure that the great heritage of
Western civilization is preserved, cherished, and
handed on to the next generation.

Here’s What Our Members Are Saying

“SCL continues to provide classical Christian educators with the best of the tradition alongside an approach to the culture that is honest without being anxious. This is a much needed approach in our polarized climate.”
– SCL Attendee

“I was very encouraged by meeting so many other like-minded teachers coming from institutions sharing the same values and commitments. It encourages me in the fight for truth, goodness, and beauty!”
– SCL Attendee

SCL was a place to connect with other teachers on the front lines. It’s easy to feel like we’re out there alone, but seeing how many other teachers are out there fighting the good fight, and having the chance to hear their stories and learn from them, it reminds me why I got into teaching in the first place.
– SCL Attendee

As a member, you receive access to all of the most recent summer conference content, including 80+ workshops, plenary speakers, etc., plus access to the full library of past content.

Conference Sessions

Ensure increased visibility for your school by having it listed on the Find a School Map, connecting you with potential students and families seeking a classical Christian learning environment.

Map Feature

Unlock a wealth of exclusive resources, such as research studies and articles, providing valuable insights and knowledge for your school's continuous improvement.

Resources

Enable your school to easily post job openings and attract qualified candidates with the Career Center, simplifying the hiring process.

Career Center

Enjoy exclusive discounts on all SCL events and services, empowering you to access valuable resources and opportunities for your school's growth at a more affordable cost.

Exclusive Discounts

Get access to exclusive cohorts and workshops!

Cohorts and Workshops

SCL conducts school-wide surveys to provide relevant information to the classical Christian community as well as access to in-depth research with partner organizations like the Barna Group.

Research

A connected community of classical Christian thought leaders, including heads of school, board members, marketing and admissions directors, development and fundraising directors, academic deans, grammar and upper school heads, and teachers from all grade levels are here to support and encourage one another.

Community

Member-exclusive Coaching Call sessions. 15-20 online sessions each year from key-thought leaders on topics ranging from legal and operational issues to pedagogical and philosophical discussions. Think of it as a mini-conference each month!

Coaching Calls

Gain new insight, knowledge, and skills around best practices in a short, intensive format with workshops or a year-long mentorship experience with cohorts. Designed for administrators, teachers, parents, leaders, and department heads – anyone seeking to learn and grow in their role.

Conference & Workshops

Our network of seasoned professionals is available to navigate your questions and brainstorm solutions with you. Let us know how you want to direct your time and we will pair you with the senior leader that best suits your school’s unique needs.

Consulting