Change at St. Irmengard: Headmaster Otmar Würl is retiring after an exciting 24 years

Created: 07/05/2022, 11:00 am

By: Margot Schäfer

The last Abitur papers have been corrected - Otmar Würl, headmaster of the St. Irmengard-Gymnasium, feels a bit nostalgic.

© Meggy Schaefer

GAP – Otmar Würl, headmaster of the Archbishop's St. Irmengard High School in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, accompanied 25 school-leavers.

Many will miss his literary, philosophical and whimsical graduation speeches in the future, because the 66-year-old is handing over his office to younger people at the end of the school year.

“My previous deputy, Stefanie Maier, will become my successor.

She was selected from among the applicants,” says the educator happily.

The native of the Upper Palatinate, who grew up in Munich, has had an exciting 24 years in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

After completing his studies at the TU in the teaching subjects math and physics and his legal clerkship, he got his first job at the grammar school in Puchheim, where he taught for six years.

In 1992 he accepted an offer for a job in the Bavarian Ministry of Education, in the school supervisory department for mathematical and scientific high schools and for religion.

The devout Catholic deliberately applied from here to Garmisch-Partenkirchen for the vacant position of high school headmaster at the St. Irmengard schools.

"I was now convinced that the educational mandate to develop personalities, to see more of the individual, can be fulfilled particularly well at a church school".

A decision that he doesn't regret for a minute when he sees the many 'tough', socially committed girls who start their lives from here every year.

The father of two boys, at home with his family in Grainau, put all his energy into St. Irmengard.

His wife, herself a teacher, had his back for him.

“I started my term of office here in September 1998 – then came the Whitsun flood in May 1999,” he sums up.

"And now there was the terrible train accident, where it was important to act in a considered organizational and pastoral manner".

Nevertheless, the positive things that he was able to experience and help shape are at the top, the strong cohesion in the school family, a wonderful willingness to help, even from strangers.

The flooding was followed by the renovation of the buildings, which finally led to core renovation and new construction years later.

Otmar Würl and his team made it possible for the school principals from Realschule and Fachoberschule, the teachers, caretakers and secretaries, to turn the container years from 2018 to 2021 into school years without any particular impairments.

Moving out and back was also mastered with foresight, as was homeschooling in Corona times.

He particularly likes to remember highlights such as the 75th anniversary in 2005, the establishment of a day care center, the founding of the technical college or the expansion of the pedagogical concept to include a music branch in the grammar school from the school year 2006. “Our concept, for this a partnership with The music schools in the district are now being accepted by other high schools,” says the director of studies iK, whose heart always rises when he sees all the talent and success at St. Irmengard.

This applies not only to the artistic but also to the scientific and sporting areas.

"At our private church schools, it's always about more than the implementation of the curriculum."

Today, the St. Irmengard High School has 445 high school students and 61 teachers.

An educational institution that is well positioned for the future.

The last graduation speech by the dedicated headmaster and teacher will certainly be an emotional one, and his farewell from St. Irmengard will be accompanied by many thanks.