During Paul Menge’s 34 year tenure at Blake he has taken on many positions reaching the hearts of those he teaches and interacts with. Currently, Menge serves as the assistant director at the Upper School which involves teaching one class, for Menge this is Biology. Originally, his love and pursuit of teaching was inspired by his sister, who is also a teacher. Talking about the impact she had on her students as well as the inspiration she had on Menge’s investment of working in a community, Menge notes “I also always felt like I wanted to do something that involved working with people so [teaching and working at a school] felt like something that would come naturally to me… I think our family has valued being in a profession where you can interact with and hopefully have an impact on people’s lives.” Menge’s family includes his brother who is a doctor, his sister who is a teacher, and his own two children, also teachers.
However, Menge’s start in education did not begin at Blake. 10 years prior to Blake, Menge taught at another private school, one he had gone to as a kid, Hill Murray. In 2019 he won a distinguished alumni award at the school, as a legacy teacher. With his lengthy history at the school, Menge had decided it was time to begin a new chapter. He explained, “I realized that I needed to spread out, move on, expand. So I applied to Blake, interviewed, and felt it would be a good fit for me.” Menge was enticed by Blake’s close knit and invested community. In addition, Blake also allowed Menge to pursue different roles in education. He says, “I was able to be a teacher, I have been the department chair of science from time to time. I was the grade dean. I was a soccer coach, and now I work as an assistant director. I’ve really been able to expand the experience I’ve had working at Blake. I’m really grateful for the opportunities Blake has given me.” Menge elaborates that Blake has not only provided him with extensive opportunities but additionally numerous people whom he worked alongside for many years. Karen Phillips, a colleague of Menge for 23 years, notes, “we had a different administrative structure and there weren’t grade deans in the same way [there are now]…[Mr. Menge] was amongst the first that took on that role…we weren’t quite sure how that model was going to work but he really embraced that and said you know this is my grade, this is my class and worked with them in a way that had set the tone and the model for you know for this whole change which was a really big change at the time.”
Besides his love of teaching Menge is passionate about athletics. In his time at Blake he has coached both girls and boys soccer. For his first four years at Blake, Menge coached boys soccer and he later moved on to coach girls varsity soccer for 27 years. For Menge, some of the most memorable times coaching girls soccer came from the years where the team made it to state. Menge says “There was a period where we won five years in a row in the state tournament. We went a total of 10 times in my time here. Won the state tournament twice in 2000 and 2011, those were certainly highlights.”
Moreover other highlights from his time at Blake include building and sustaining positive relationships, one of which being the close knit bond with his advisory. Avery Schwappach ‘23, one of Menge’s advisees says,
Despite his many fond memories, impact on Blake and passion for teaching, Menge has decided to retire from Blake following the end of the 2021-2022 school year. He says, “I’m also at a place now where my wife is retired, where I have a new grandson. I’m fortunate to have a really supporting extended family, I’d like to spend more time with things like travel or those things. The time just felt right and 44 years total in education I feel like I’ve put a good amount of time in. But I want to make clear, I’m retiring at a time I still really enjoy what I do, I just feel like it’s time to try something new, to start new endeavors.”
As for his plans outside of teaching, Menge is excited to start pursuing his hobbies: biking, drumming, and lots of outdoor activities such as kayaking, landscaping, and maintaining his yard. Alongside his hobbies Menge is committed to continuing his passion for helping and supporting others around him whether that be through volunteer work or additional opportunities. Both of Menge’s advisees Schwappach and Lilygreen say it is bittersweet to see him go prior to their senior year but acknowledge that Menge is making the right decision for himself.
Although the larger Blake community will certainly lack Menge’s presence in the hallway for years to come, his impactful presence has no doubt shaped the minds of countless young students and reshaped the foundation of the school. Through his dedication to education and positive light that guided so many students throughout their school career, Menge will forever have impacted the school in ways too numerous to name. Phillips concludes that, “Paul’s a thoughtful colleague. He really cares about students, he puts students first above everything and I really respect that about him.”
