Courtney Nielsen

Humanities/Foods/Cheer Coach

Mrs. Nielsen was raised in Logandale, Nevada. I graduated from Moapa Valley High School, Home of the Pirates. During high school, she participated in Cheerleading where I was the Head Cheerleader, Drama (where she won Best Actress two years in a row), National Honor Society, Piano, Spanish Club, Ski Club, FHA/HERO (she was the Nevada State President in 1996-1997 and Nevada State Historian 1995-1996), and Track and Field (I ran the 4 by 200 race and the 110 hurdles). In addition, I was involved in SBO and graduated with high honors. Other than Nevada, Courtney has lived all over the Wasatch Front and in Paris, France, when she participated in a Study Abroad Program in college.

After high school, she attended Brigham Young University, Provo, where she received my BA in Humanities with an emphasis in English Literature, with course supporting work in French from 1997-2002. In 1999, I participated in a study abroad program with BYU in Paris, France. I lived in France for 1 semester. Mrs. Nielsen says, “I loved everything about France: the language, the food, the people, the culture, the historic value of Paris, and the museums and architecture. I still love everything French.” Courtney can speak conversational French, but feels she’s a bit out of practice. In 2004, she returned to school and received her Masters of Education degree from University of Phoenix.

Mrs. Nielsen co-owned a small commercial construction company for 5 years; her position there was as the Controller and CFO. Additionally, she has taught Reading and Writing courses at Salt Lake Community College since 2006. To help pay for college, she managed swimming pools where she was a lifeguard, and also taught swimming lessons.

Courtney married her husband, Ben, in 1999 in Las Vegas, and they have three children together: Elise (7 years), Andrew (5years), and Matthew (4years). In her spare time, she loves to cook, sew, scrapbook, read, and watch BYU Football!

This is Mrs. Nielsen’s first year at RCHS, where she is the Cheer Coach and she teaches Humanities and Foods classes. She says that her favorite part of Humanities is learning about different cultures and the different ways people express themselves, whether it be through painting, sculpture, literature, or performing arts. Aside from literature, her most favorite topic is architecture. As for being a teacher, Courtney says she enjoys the daily interaction with the students, helping them achieve their goals, and becoming their best selves.