Educators retire after decades of service

Two longtime Pahranagat Valley educators are retiring this year after spending decades teaching local students and serving the community.

Kari Mortensen, better known to generations of students as “Mr. M,” is retiring after 30 years at Pahranagat Valley Elementary School. Eric Hansen is also retiring after nearly three decades teaching in Pahranagat Valley middle and high schools.

For Mortensen, teaching was a natural path. Coming from a family of educators, he said he “didn’t really have a choice” when it came to choosing the profession.

Originally from Huntington, Utah, Mortensen attended Southern Utah University before accepting a first-grade teaching position in Alamo after being interviewed by former Lincoln County Superintendent Vaughn Higbee. That opportunity led to a career spanning first-, second-, third- and fifth-grade classrooms at PVES.

“The best part of the job for me has always been the relationships with students, colleagues and parents,” Mortensen said.

Over the years, he especially enjoyed watching students experience “light bulb” moments and, later, teaching the children of former students.

Students and staff honored Mortensen during his final days at the school by filling the halls with colorful notes, memories and messages of appreciation.

Hansen began teaching in 1997 and spent his career teaching special education, middle school math and high school science. He also coached baseball and drove activity buses throughout the years.

A lifelong resident of Pahranagat Valley, Hansen said he became a teacher because he enjoyed helping students learn and wanted to positively impact others the way his father had as an educator.

“Memories of students who I was able to help are some of the best,” Hansen said.

Hansen reflected fondly on the friendships, coaching experiences and years spent working alongside staff and students in the valley.

“It has been a privilege and an honor to teach at Pahranagat Valley,” he said. “We have some of the best people in the world here.”

As both educators step into retirement, they leave behind decades of memories and lasting impacts on generations of students throughout Pahranagat Valley.