Mullen High School
Mullen High School (formerly J.K. Mullen High School) is a Roman Catholic, Brothers of the Christian Schools, college-preparatory high school in Denver, Colorado. It is run independently within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver.
J. K. Mullen High School | |
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Address | |
3601 South Lowell Boulevard , 80236 United States | |
Coordinates | 39.650626°N 105.036278°W |
Information | |
Type | Private, coeducational |
Motto | Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve |
Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
Established | 1931 |
President | Dr. Raul Cardenas |
Dean | Duan Ruff |
Principal | Jeffrey Howard |
Faculty | 84 |
Grades | 9–12 |
Enrollment | 890 |
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[1] |
Website | http://www.mullenhigh.com |
History
Mullen High School was 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 Henry Tihen, Mullen contacted Edward Flanagan, the founder of Boys Town, for advice on how best to design and operate such a school. Following Flanagan’s recommendation, 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.
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.
Academics
AP Courses
- 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
- AP Computer Science
- AP Human Geography
Extracurricular Activities
Athletics
Rivalry with Cherry Creek
Mullen enjoys an intense rivalry with Cherry Creek High School of Greenwood Village, Colorado. This rivalry was developed in the Centennial League and continues despite Mullen and Cherry Creek now play football in separate leagues since 2010. The two schools have met in the 5A State Football Championship game 3 times – 1998, 2004, and 2008, with Mullen winning each time. This rivalry is widely believed to be the state’s top high school rivalry[2] and spans several sports and activities.
State Championships
State Championships[3] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Season | Sport | Number of Championships | Year |
Fall | Football | 8 | 1978, 1979, 1980, 1998, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010 |
Soccer, Boys | 1 | 2011 | |
Softball, Girls | 1 | 2001 | |
Cross Country, Boys | 1 | 1999 | |
Cross Country, Girls | 5 | 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 | |
Winter | Swimming, Boys | 2 | 2003, 2011 |
Swimming, Girls | 7 | 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005 | |
Basketball, Boys | 2 | 2001, 2006 | |
Basketball, Girls | 5 | 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2019 | |
Spring | Golf, Boys | 7 | 1984, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 |
Golf, Girls | 5 | 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 | |
Tennis, Girls | 2 | 2001, 2006 | |
Track and Field, Boys | 12 | 1968, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009 | |
Track and Field, Girls | 11 | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011 | |
Baseball | 2 | 1978, 1985 | |
Total | 71 |
Speech and Debate
Mullen is a charter member of the National Forensics League.
Notable alumni
- Frank McNulty, Colorado legislator, former Speaker of the House (Colorado House of Representatives)
- David Tate (American football), NFL Safety, Chicago Bears
- Bo Scaife, NFL football player
- JK Scott, NFL Punter, Green Bay Packers
- Scott Wedman, basketball player
- Brendan Winters, basketball player
- Alex Smith (tight end), NFL Tight End
- Chester Burnett (American football), NFL Linebacker
- Ryan Hewitt, NFL football player[4]
- Sam Haggerty, MLB player
- Mark Holzemer, MLB pitcher [5]
- Nick Diercks, College Football Coach
Notes and references
- NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on 2009-04-29. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
- Burnett, Sara (29 November 2008). "Cherry Creek and Mullen clash in 5A football rivalry" Archived 2013-10-19 at the Wayback Machine. Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- "Past Colorado High School State Champions" (English). Retrieved 25 June 2012.
- "Ryan Hewitt - GoStanford.com - Stanford University". gostanford.com. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- http://slammersbaseball.com/who-we-are/. Retrieved 15 October 2019. Missing or empty
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7. Mullen High School Alumni, The Baseball Cube. http://www.thebaseballcube.com/hs/profile.asp?ID=427