Jamie Courville

Hellgate Middle School – Building 4
Hellgate Elementary School District #4
Missoula, Montana
jcourville@hellgatesd4.k12.mt.us

In his 12-year tenure as principal of Hellgate Middle School, Jamie Courville has guided multiple transformations to build a school community that is inclusive and dynamic and offers a broad range of hands-on learning opportunities for students to explore their passions. Early in his leadership at Hellgate, Courville led a multi-year design project for a new middle school building, transitioning from a 6-8 school to solely serving seventh and eighth grades. In both buildings, Courville oversaw a dramatic expansion of the school’s elective offerings to ensure equal access to enriching, skill-based learning for students who do not opt into the district’s robust music program, for which the school is well-known. Courville also built a first-of-its-kind life skills program for the district’s most vulnerable special education students, emphasizing functional academics, communication, and independent living skills. By hosting students in fourth through eighth grades, the program minimizes school transitions and provides opportunities for older peers to model inclusion and kindness. In all of his efforts, Courville aims to be a guiding force who inspires collaborative change and relishes working alongside educators to realize their full professional potential, whether they are in their first years of teaching or bring decades of experience to the table. Courville holds an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from the University of Montana and a B.S. from the University of Montana, Western.