Mullen High School - History

History

J.K. 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 Belgian 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, J.K. 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, J.K. 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.