Courtney Yoes, a muralist and Talented Art teacher at the elementary school, has journeyed through various paths to find her true calling. Born with an innate love for art, Courtney's creative journey began at a young age. The self-proclaimed “dreamer” filled countless notebooks with her drawings, then set her sights on a different canvas: her bedroom wall. Without asking permission, she drew a huge mural of the coast, a cliff and a sunset entirely in crayon on her bedroom wall. “I loved it. It was beautiful… but I do not recommend!” she laughs, recalling her mother having to scrape wax off of the walls to sell the house years later.

After graduating from Zachary High, she enlisted in the military, where she worked as a secretary to an officer and saved up to go to college. Being a “pencil pusher” in the military taught her valuable organizational skills that would be the foundation for her future career.

Once at LSU, Yoes pursued a science major for the first three semesters, but soon realized her heart belonged to the arts. With encouragement from her now-husband Kerry, she switched her major to fine arts, specializing in drawing and painting. "I wanted to raise a family and do my art at home,” she says, and that’s just what she did. 

Balancing family and passion, Yoes launched "Party at Your Place," a mobile paint party business, in the mid-aughts. "Paint parties were the hottest thing, and I had a minivan full of easels and chairs," she laughs. The business thrived for 15 years, becoming a popular activity across the area.

In 2018, a new chapter unfolded when she began substitute teaching at Zachary Elementary School (ZES), which soon turned into a full-time position. Despite initially resisting the idea of teaching, she found her true passion in inspiring young minds. "I realized I didn't want to be just an artist; I loved teaching art," she says. Her experience in the military, where she served as an officer’s secretary, helped her manage the organizational aspects of teaching, including handling Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). “I don’t have an organizational bone in my body,” she says, and many of her friends were concerned initially that she wouldn’t be able to handle the required paperwork.

“I think I made it through college because I was in the military,” she says. It wasn’t until much later in life that both she and her son got diagnosed with ADHD around the same time. While initially embarrassed about having to take medicine, Yoes says the decision was “life changing.”

Today, she continues to inspire through her art and teaching, creating murals around town like the savannah and underwater scenes at NES library, The Boot Crossfit mural, and the vibrant landscape on the wall at Little Town Zachary. 

Yoes embraces her journey, and all the steps along the way that have led to this moment. "It feels like I'm on the path that was created for me," she says.