INDIANOLA — When Mary Catherine Kolb had her hip replaced earlier this school year, she said she could only think about one thing: getting well so she could get back to her kids — all 34 of them.

Perhaps this way of thinking is why Kolb is now preparing to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her business, and by default, her children.

Kolb is the main teacher and owner of the Indianola Preschool, which is now celebrating its quarter century mark.

“She is so great with the kids,” said Tiffany Musselman, an aid at the school. All three of her children also attended preschool at Kolb’s house of learning. “This celebration is not just for the preschool, it’s also for Mary Catherine.”

Kolb said she moved to Indianola from California in 1977 to raise a family with her husband. After she had children, she didn’t want to return to teaching elementary school. During this time, the house next door to theirs went up for sale. Kolb made a decision, bought it and converted it into a preschool. Her oldest son was in the first class at the preschool in 1981, and he was also the oldest student at 18 months.

“I wanted to be a stay at home mom,” Kolb said. “I didn’t want to go back to teaching, I wanted to stay near my children. When the house became available, my husband and I thought, ‘Wow, wouldn’t that be great?’”

The preschool made a name for itself, and now has full classes during the year with a bit of a waiting list, Kolb said.

The only hitch during the history of the school, she said, was when it caught on fire. Kolb blamed herself for the blaze, explaining that a rabbit she had brought in for the children ran into the bathroom. While there, the rabbit accidentally switched on a wall heater, igniting wood chips that were being used as gerbil bedding.

Kolb said the result was a disaster. The school’s inside burned out, and all that was left was basically four walls and a roof, she said.

“They had preschool at the church for three months while they rebuilt the school,” Musselman said. “They didn’t really have anything. I remember hearing that Mary Catherine’s husband taped a whole bunch of computer boxes together for the kids to crawl around in.”

The preschool survived the fire, and children eagerly returned. Kolb continued to teach classes, taking a break for summer and to get her hip replaced during the last school year. Musselman assumed the role of head teacher during Kolb’s six week absence, but was happy to hand the reins back over when Kolb was healed.

“The preschool is amazing because of Mary Catherine,” Musselman said. “That’s the best part of my job, working with her and the children.”

“It’s been wonderful being able to have so many children,” Kolb said. “I haven’t met a kid I didn’t like, ever. I still love it.”

The school’s anniversary means a lot to Kolb. To celebrate, Kolb, Musselman and the other aids will be decorating the Indianola Clubhouse with 25 years worth of pictures. Musselman created a slideshow of photos as well.

There will be refreshments, but Musselman said the main purpose is to celebrate the school and Kolb. When asked where the preschool will go from here, Kolb said that it wouldn’t go anywhere, it’s staying right where it is. She said she will probably never retire, adding that she wouldn’t know what to do if she did.

“I love it,” Kolb said. “I walk in the door every morning, no, every time I walk through the door during my day, and I think, ‘I just love this place. What would I do without it?’”