Courville receives 2024 “Lisa Henry Heart of Gold” Teacher Award

Posted Date: 11/19/2024

Kim Courville, Special Education teacher at DeRidder High School, received the 2024 “Lisa Henry Heart of Gold” Teacher Award at the Louisiana Autism Conference in October. The award was created in 2023 to recognize a special education teacher working with students who have Autism, intellectual disabilities, or other developmental disabilities in an exceptional way. The award is sponsored by the St. Nicholas Center Worldwide and comes with a $1,000 grant to the special education program at DeRidder High School.

            Courville began her teaching career in 1987 after graduating from McNeese State University as a special education teacher at South Cameron Elementary. She has taught in Texas at Kirbyville High School and in Beauregard Parish at Merryville High School, South Beauregard High School, and at DeRidder High School, where she currently teaches special education.

She wears many hats, accepting the challenges for her current position with a kind heart and a deep love for her students. She addresses the whole child, making sure that students learn study skills, life skills, independent living skills, and provides for their immediate needs so that they can become productive citizens living healthy and happy lives. She works with them to ensure that they will graduate on time with the tools they need to thrive. She follows up with her students long after they have left her classroom, helping them continue to navigate their way in life.

She was nominated for the award by her colleague Tyler Bailey who describes her as “one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable in the hearts of faculty, staff, and students at the school.”