Senior Shyla Courchaine receives from Three Springs High a personalized education plan she needed

After moving to Three Springs High School in her sophomore year, Shyla Courchaine began to thrive, falling in love with science, history and physical education.

Before Three Springs, Courchaine struggled with undiagnosed ADHD and dyslexia for years. But with the individualized education plan she was able to receive through the school, she finally had the help she needed.

“I’m so proud of her,” Courchaine’s mother Candice Birchell said.

The 18-year-old Courchaine will graduate from Three Springs with her classmates on June 12 at Northern Quest Casino & Resort.

Courchaine has always enjoyed athletics and the outdoors, having started playing softball when she was only 8 years old. So, when she moved to Three Springs, joining the softball team and taking up various other sports came naturally.

Tiffany Lockwood, Courchaine’s club softball coach, shared her ongoing admiration for Courchaine’s motivation over the years.

“Shyla is an incredible young lady,” Lockwood said, praising Courchaine’s personal drive and her instinct to encourage the players around her. “She is an excellent lefty and a power hitter for sure. Great team player and athlete and I would always welcome her on my team.”

On her softball team – which has been to many state and regional championships – she played pitcher and right field, but “I can play anything,” she said. She also enjoys trapshooting, riding motorcycles, hunting and fishing among other outdoor activities.

Since she turned 16, Courchaine has fit her school work around full-time jobs, hostessing alternately at restaurants like Denny’s and Texas Roadhouse. She said that while hostessing wasn’t her end goal, she has always enjoyed the social aspect and getting to know the regulars.

This past year, her job working as a COVID-19 scanner at Northwest Specialty Hospital in Post Falls offered enough downtime to allow her to finish her coursework early.

Post-graduation, Courchaine is looking forward to being an adult, being able to work and, hopefully, being able to enjoy a little more free time.

She has several paths open to her. Fascinated with biology and the human body, she once considered a career in medicine. But more recently Courchaine has had her sights set on earning a business degree at Spokane Falls Community College and continuing to play softball.