Cockrell tapped to lead MUES
Dr. Nicole Cockrell has been named principal of Mannsdale Upper Elementary School, which serves grades three through five in the western Germantown Zone. Cockrell is a familiar face to the Mannsdale Upper Elementary family, having served for the last six years at the campus as assistant principal and the previous three years as the school’s literacy specialist.
“It is with such joy that I have the privilege to continue sharing in the learning and growth of the students, teachers, families, and community of MUES that I love and appreciate,” says Dr. Cockrell. “Life is about accepting the challenges along the way, choosing to keep moving forward, and savoring the journey. I gratefully accept the challenge of continuing to move the mark at Mannsdale Upper, the first school in the state to be named a School of Innovation, and I will enjoy this journey with the people and community I have grown so fond of over the years,” says Cockrell.
Dr. Cockrell brings nearly two decades of experience in education to her new role. She began her teaching career in 2005 in Greenwood Public Schools and then Jackson Public Schools where she was promoted to instructional interventionist in 2013. The following school year she joined Madison County Schools as literacy specialist at MUES before being named assistant principal in 2017. During the 2022-2023 school year Dr. Cockrell was honored by the National Association of Elementary School Principals as Mississippi’s National Outstanding Assistant Principal.
“Dr. Cockrell has distinguished herself as a caring and capable administrator,” says Madison County Schools Superintendent Charlotte Seals, “Not only is she very intentional and data-driven in her approach to faculty development and school leadership, but also she has a real passion for inspiring a love of learning in children. We look forward to her building on the strong foundation at Mannsdale Upper Elementary.”
A lifelong learner, Dr. Cockrell earned her doctoral degree in educational leadership from William Carey University in 2022. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Delta State University and both a master’s degree and specialist degree from Mississippi College. Dr. Cockrell and her husband Demetrous, a firefighter, have been married for twenty-three years. They have two sons, Demetrous, Jr., and Cameron, who are both graduates of Germantown High School, and a daughter, Caitlin, who is a freshman at Germantown High School.
Dr. Cockrell will begin serving as principal this summer.