Retirement day finally arrives for Morrell as veteran preps to enter West history

As the first semester edges closer to expiration, West prepares to say  farewell to the steady mothercountry of the social studies department, Michael Morrell.

 Social studies teacher Paul Stellpflug credits the veteran for bringing laughter to the west wing. 

“He’s got a great, dry, witty sense of humor,” he said. “There is not an opportunity that passes by where he can’t make some snarky quip about it. He also is fond of having certain catchphrases, like ‘you gotta let a player play’ and ‘you can’t stop love’.”

Social studies teacher Pat Bertram remembers Morrell’s stellar comedy straight from the first impression. 

“I remember his laugh,” he said. “He is full of jokes and is just an all around friendly person.” 

Stellpflug laughs when recalling his initial encounters with Morrell. 

“My first memory of him was him walking out of the building and saying ‘one day closer to retirement,’” he said. “I’ll miss that; he is a great classroom teacher and a good solid member of the department.” 

U.S. History teacher Andrew Britton finds Morrell’s early jokes and quips of retirement ironic now that the fateful time has arrived.

“Early on we would always say it when we were even in our 30s, just as a joke, and now he actually is retiring,” he said. “He’s been great for the culture because he has a terrific sense of humor, so I know that that is something I am really going to miss.” 

Bertram will miss Morrell’s expertise in the field and his cool-headed personality. 

“He brings in a lot of experience and has a lot of knowledge about what we’ve done and how we used to approach things,” he said. “He’s just a great person to have around due to his sense of humor, so I’ve always enjoyed working with him for that.”

Morrell, who is finishing off his 29-year teaching career, cherishes the connections he has made with his fellow co-workers. 

“I would say my favorite part is just the staff in general,” he said. “Throughout the years, I’ve been with a lot of these people for a long time and I enjoyed that.”

Morrell feels a sense of sadness in leaving West’s bubble of bustling culture and spirit. 

“Staying active in the community, going to all the football games, all the school events, being a part of all that, I will miss it,” he said.

Bertram is confident his built-up connection with Morrell won’t fade away. 

“I’m sure he will be hearing from me from time to time,” he said. “I’ve been known to just show up at his house to watch fireworks so that may still continue. I’m hoping that if I ever need a sub I can call him, or if he is in the building, I’ll be able to catch up with him when he stops in.” 

Britton has known Morrell since the beginning of his career and is confident that he will continue to thrive in the next chapter of his life. 

“I actually met him in 1989 because he and I were in a social studies methods class at UW Oshkosh,” he said. “I think he’s going to have a great retirement. I hope he has a lot of fun in whatever he chooses to do.”

Stellpflug remembers Morrell's blatant popularity throughout the years. 

“We have all of these kids trying to get into his classroom,” he said. “He would have 32 kids in his class and would complain about it, but if he wasn’t so good, wouldn’t have all of those kids in there.”

Beyond the classroom, Morrell has seen his share of district and building initiatives come and go.

“I’ll miss Mr. Morrell seeing me in the hallway and speculating that we need to bring back the learning lab from the mid 90s,” English teacher Trent Scott said. “Morrell, Ken Kubeny, and I would work on our crossword puzzles and solve the problems of the universe in that room.”

Homeroom co-teacher Andy Hofmeister will miss Morrell’s sharp sense of humor and allusions lost on the youth of today.

“During the passing period, there was a Creedence Clearwater Revival song on, and some disgusted kid asked about who chose these songs,” he said. “Without missing a beat, Mike said, ‘It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate son.’ The student was dumbfounded and I laughed for a good one or two minutes.”

Even as he leaves the physical building, Morrell has no doubt that he will continue to connect and communicate with his past students and staff. 

“When you teach this long, wherever you go out in the community you run into former students,” he said. “It's really neat to be able to talk to them.”

Though he’s sad to leave the classroom, Morrell is excited to be able to dedicate more time to himself and his entertainment during his much-needed break. 

“This February I’m going to Jamaica,” he said. “When I was teaching full-time, we never had the time off to do that. Now I can go on vacations in the winter.”

For his final words of advice, Morrell wishes his students and coworkers the best of luck in life.

“Enjoy the ride,” he said. “An old teacher once said ‘you know when you're teaching, the years go by pretty fast. The days are sometimes long, but the years go by pretty fast, so enjoy each moment in life.’ Don’t wish your life away.”

by Hannah Chung

Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue 3

November 29th, 2021