Harlan Mohagen, special education teacher and aide who has taught at PHS for over 25 years, will be retiring at the end of the year.
Mohagen has worked in the district since 1989. She started as an instructional assistant at Havens Elementary, but in her last 17 years has been at PHS, initially as an aide and then as a teacher.
Mohagen is retiring in large part because her son and his wife are having their first child. Mohagen and her husband will be moving to Denver, Colorado.
“They live in Denver so in order to be around our granddaughter as much as we would like it makes sense to retire to free up my time so I can join my [already retired] husband in visiting them,” Mohagen said.
Mohagen does not know specifically what she will do in Denver.
“Who knows – I just might end up in education again someplace,” said Mohagen.
Mohagen said that her husband is also starting a woodworking business called Mohagen Woods, which they will be working on together.
Math teacher Bill Marthinsen said that Mohagen was a very supportive and enjoyable colleague.
“Mrs. Mohagen was very supportive and helpful,” math teacher Bill Marthinsen said. “She was an extremely nice and generous teacher.”
School counselor Chris Hartford said that from the day he started at PHS, Mohagen has always been extremely friendly and helpful and truly advocates for her students with a lot of passion.
“She cracks me up at meetings when she gets tongue tied and tries to say something and says something else. While working at PHS, Mohagen said that she has gained the opportunity to touch the lives of students,” said Hartford.
Mohagen said that her best memory at PHS is in the fall of 1998 at the last football home game of the season.
“I went to every JV and Varsity game because both my sons were playing. At half time the cheerleaders and the team surprised me by awarding me the first annual Best Fan award,” Mohagen said.
She said they gave her a very large Spirit Card signed by the teams and the cheerleaders.
Mohagen said that each year brings amazing memories of her students and she is pleased that she had the opportunity to be a part of their lives.
“It is such an honor when a student comes back, sometimes several years, after graduation and tells me that I made a difference,” she said.
