Mullen High School

J. K. Mullen High School
Address
3601 South Lowell Boulevard Denver , Colorado 80236 USA
Coordinates	39.650626°N 105.036278°W / 39.650626; -105.036278
Information
Type	Private, coeducational
Motto	Care and Vigilance
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	1931
President	Ryan Clement
Dean	Vince Massey
Principal	Jim Gmelich
Faculty	84
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	950
Student to teacher ratio	17:1
Campus size	39 acres (160,000 m2)
Campus type	Suburban
Color(s)	Navy Blue and Gold
Sports	23
Mascot	Mustangs
Accreditation	North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
Website	http://www.mullenhighschool.com

Mullen High School is a Roman Catholic high school in Denver, Colorado administered by the Brothers of the Christian Schools. It is run independently within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver.

History

Mullen High School is named for John Kernan Mullen, businessman, philanthropist, and founder of the Colorado Milling and Elevator Company. Together with his wife, Catherine, Mullen envisioned the founding of a high school in Denver for orphaned boys. In 1928, working with Bishop Henry Tihen, Mullen contacted Father Edward Flanagan, the founder of Boys Town, for advice on how best to design and operate such a school. Following Father Flanagan’s recommendation, Mr. Mullen wrote to the Christian Brothers of St. John Baptist de La Salle in Santa Fe, New Mexico and invited them to be the directors and teachers of his planned school.

St. John Baptist de La Salle was a 17th century French priest who established gratuitous schools for the children of the poor and working classes, as well as an order of religious men to teach in and run the schools. An innovator both in the Catholic Church and in education, St. La Salle was a pioneer of the practical liberal arts curriculum, the simultaneous method of classroom instruction, early childhood education, and formal teacher training. In 1950, he was named the Patron Saint of All Teachers of Youth.

In June, 1928, Mullen opened negotiations with the De La Salle Christian Brothers. However, both Catherine and John Mullen died before the project could be completed, but their daughters and their husbands carried on with their plans. They purchased a 420-acre (1.7 km²) plot of land on the outskirts of Denver known as the Shirley Farm Dairy. An agreement was made that would allow the dairy to remain in operation in exchange for the students’ opportunity to work in the dairy and receive training in agriculture and mechanics. And so, on April 8, 1932, 17 boys and three Brothers moved into the new J.K. Mullen Home for Boys.

Since then, Mullen High School has experienced four distinct eras of change and growth:

• 1931–1950, when the school was conducted for orphan boys only, who both attended school and worked in the dairy farm;
• 1950–1965, when paying boarders and day students joined the orphans as students, the school’s farm operations ended and its name was changed to J.K. Mullen High School;
• 1966-1989, when the last of the orphans graduated, the boarding section closed, and the school became a four-year college preparatory high school for boys;
• 1989–present, when the school became a co-educational high school and modernized its facilities and programs.

Despite the changes, Mullen's mission to provide a human education to the young, with attention to those most in need, has remained unchanged. Its core principles are faith in the presence of God, concern for the poor and social justice, respect for all persons, inclusive community, and quality education.

Academics

Mullen's academic year follows the trimester system: five 70-minute classes a day, 15 classes per year. This provides for both the school’s solid core of college prep, honors, and AP courses and a selection of over 130 sections of academic electives. In addition, all students select and complete their own community service projects.In order to graduate each student must have a total of 70 hours. Since 1983, students have logged over 400,000 hours of service to the people of Denver, Colorado and beyond.

Mission statement

In the tradition of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Brothers of the Christian Schools, J.K. Mullen High School is a Catholic college-preparatory high school whose graduates embrace God's gift of learning, devote their lives to seeking ceaselessly for His learning, and commit themselves to His learning in the service of others. Mullen's hallmarks are its exemplary teaching, its community of faith, its scholastic rigor, and its care and vigilance for each student. Mullen's mission is to carry these hallmarks into the 21st century.

AP Courses

Mullen offers many Advanced Placement courses to its students including:

• AP English Literature & Composition
• AP Studio Art
• AP Calculus AB
• AP Calculus BC
• AP Biology
• AP Chemistry
• AP Physics C
• AP US Government & Politics
• AP US History
• AP European History
• AP Spanish
• AP French
• AP Latin

Clubs

Mullen offers a wide variety of clubs and organizations. Over 90% of students participate in at least one co-curricular activity throughout the year. Some of these include:

• Student Council
• National Honor Society (as well as Honor Societies for Spanish, French and Latin)
• S.A.D.D.
• Bowling Club
• Billards Club
• Culture Club
• Drama Club
• Figure Skating Club
• HOPE
• Lasallian Youth
• Newspaper
• Knowledge Bowl
• Mullen Scribes (creative writing club)
• Young Democrats and Young Republicans
• Young Libertarians
• Chess Club
• Photography Club
• United Students for America (USA)
• ACSA (African Cultural and Social Awareness) Club
• De La Salle program
• Club Chaparral

Speech and Debate

Mullen participates in the CHSAA Large School Division State Tournament. Mullen is also a Charter Member of the National Forensics League . Frank Sferra, a Seven-Diamond National Forensics League coach, has been a key figurehead in Mullen Speech and Debate for over 50 years. The library is named for beloved faculty member and speech coach, Frank Sferra, who has taught at Mullen for more than 50 years and who has been a key player in developing competitive speech as an activity in Colorado and across the nation.

Performing arts

The school's "cafe-chape-torium" (so named due to its function as the cafeteria, school chapel and auditorium), the Rilko Center, serves as the venue for Mullen's theatrical and choral performances.

Choral music is alive and well at Mullen High School with three ensembles currently offered for student enrollment. Mullen Singers - a large concert chorus - is a non-audition ensemble open to students on all levels. Students perform a variety of both traditional and contemporary styles of choral music at numerous venues throughout the year, including several formal concerts. Varsity Singers, our men's chorus, and our Women's Chorus are 'training choirs' in which students are taught choral basics. Starting in the Fall 2008, a Chamber Ensemble will be added to the choral line up. Chamber Ensemble will be an audition-only, 16 member group of Mullen's finest choral musicians.

Opportunities to sing abound for singers at Mullen High School. Students are encouraged to audition for (through the preparation of arts songs) and are selected to sing in local Honor Choirs as well as All-State choir. In March 2006, Mullen Singers performed Mozart's Coronation Mass at Carnegie Hall in New York City as part of a nationally selected ensemble. In February 2007, they performed as part of a nationally selected festival chorus at Boettcher Concert Hall in Denver. In June 2008, Mullen Singers will be performing by invitation for the 2008 Summer Olympic festival in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou, China. During the summer of 2010 Mullen Singers Maya Stackhouse and Kevin Covelo went to New York to sing in an audition only ensemble at Carnegie Hall.

The Mullen Symphonic Orchestra was added to the Mullen Performing Arts line-up during 2007-2008 school year.

Theatre

Members of Mullen Theatre participate in several major dramatic productions throughout the year. In the 2010-2011 season the theatre department will put on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and State Fair as the spring musical. For the 2009-2010 season Mullen put on The Matchmaker and The King and I For the 2008-2009 season Mullen performed The Curious Savage in the fall and Annie as the spring musical. Other recent productions include Bye Bye Birdie, Our Town, The Wizard of Oz (Spring 2007), Dickens' A Christmas Carol (Fall 2006), The Sound of Music (Spring 2006), and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Fall 2005). Mullen Theatre also presents an annual series of student-directed plays, usually in February. Mullen's theatre program includes both the performing and technical aspects of a normal theatre.

Mullen Theatre Troupe 778 is an active member of the International Thespian Society and has students participate and compete in a number of events at the Colorado State Thespian Conference each year.

Notable alumni

• Chester Burnett, American football player
• Steve DeLine, American football player
• Bo Scaife, American football player
• Alex Smith, American football player
• David Tate, American football player
• Ray Hall, Center Providence College Mens Basketball
• Frank McNulty, Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives
• William Colston, Project leader for the Pentagon's reconstruction following the September 11 terrorist attack, Division Director for Antarctic Infrastructure and Logistics at the National Science Foundation
• Jacques Bailly, Associate Professor of Classics at University of Vermont, Pronouncer for Scripps National Spelling Bee
• Scott Wedman NBA All-Star, Kansas City Kings; Member of Boston Celtics' 1984 and 1986 Championship teams
• Mark Holzemer Major League Baseball player
• Clint Zavaras Major League Baseball player
• Mike Trujillo Major League Baseball player
• Craig Bowman, Education Columnist for The Rocky Mountain News (1982-1993) and The Denver Post (1993-1998)

External links

• Official website