By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Great Bend High School librarian Emily Mulch says the announcement of the school closures for the rest of the semester in Kansas due to COVID-19 came as a shock and presented a lack of closure. Wondering how she was going to get hundreds of checked out books returned and disinfected almost became secondary to the fact that she would not be coming back to GBHS with students in it again.
Mulch announced her resignation from USD 428 after 26 years at Great Bend High School, 24 of those years as the librarian.
Mulch, originally from Madill, Oklahoma, took a library position at Valley Center Intermediate School in the Wichita area. The move gets her a couple hours closer to her parents in southern Oklahoma and other family.
“My son recently graduated from college and I have no family ties in Great Bend, so this allows me to get a little closer to family,” Mulch said.
Growing up in a 4-H family, Mulch went to Oklahoma State University on a horse judging scholarship.
“I was able to go to lots of places, meet a lot of people, and judge lots of horses along the way.”
Mulch’s first job sent her to Waukomis, Oklahoma to teach English at the high school. After one year, she moved to Ellinwood and was working at Brentwood Clothing in Great Bend. Two weeks before school started, then Great Bend High School Principal Mike Hester offered her a position to teach English.
While Mulch was teaching English in Great Bend, one of her mentors Carol Woodmansee announced her soon-to-be retirement as one of the school’s librarians. Mulch was encouraged to get her masters in library science. She followed through with the suggestion and drove back and forth to Fort Hays State University in Hays to take evening classes.
“The librarian that talked me into switching over ended up leaving and the district was kind enough to let me move into the library position before I finished my last year of library school,” said Mulch. “I got the opportunity to be with Woodmansee for a year and learned so much from her.”
During her time as librarian, Mulch found herself on several committees including: professional development committee, Student Council sponsor, Pep Club sponsor, cheer sponsor and president of the Great Bend NEA.
Mulch recalls many great memories while at Great Bend High School which included receiving her fair share of pranks from former English teacher and coach Jeff Langrehr.
“In my first year teaching English, Langrehr and I had classrooms next to each other,” Mulch stated. “Getting ready for open house, I wrote my name on the chalkboard for parents to see. Sometime before the parent/teacher conferences started, Langrehr came in and changed my name from Mulch to Gulch, the mean old lady on The Wizard of Oz. I went through a whole open house with Mrs. Gulch on my board.”
Mulch was also amazed to talk and listen to Nobel Prize winner Jack Kilby when he came to speak at the high school.
“I will probably never again in my life get to hear a Nobel Prize winner speak; much less, get to take a picture with one.”
Mulch says she truly felt honored to work at Great Bend High School these past 26 years.
“I loved my job very much and it is sad for me to leave after all these years,” said Mulch. “I enjoyed seeing all the students grow up and some of them have children now going to GBHS. I loved having former students check in and being able to catch up on their professional lives and how they are doing.”
Emily Mulch talked with Eagle Radio's Cole Reif about her resignation, how she got started in Great Bend, and what she will remember most about her 26 years at GBHS. Listen to the entire interview below.