Rod Mullen set to retire after twenty four years at Central

For the past 24 years, Rod Mullen has made Central his home in room 113. I, like many others, cannot imagine this school without him next year.

From hearing him yell at a kid in the halls to take their hat off, to having the pleasure of having him as a teacher, almost everyone has been impacted by him. He made the decision to leave this year around four years ago. Although he told me this in 2019 in my Honors U.S. History class, I never thought
he would follow through with it.

His dedication to Central is not only evident in his teaching but beyond the classroom. He is one of those teachers you can tell genuinely cares about their job and their students.

“I decided when I got to the magic number of 85, your age and the number of years teaching, that I would call it a day,” Mullen said.

There are many things still up in the air for Mullen, but he assured me once he decides what to do, it will be something to do with Central.

His plan for retirement right now is, “getting jury duty out of the way first,” Mullen stated jokingly. But more seriously, he’s looking into doing supervision for athletics. Even through his retirement, he wants to stay involved with Central as much as possible. “You’re gonna see me at more than one game for sure. I’m never letting Central go.”

Over his time here at Central, Mullen has formed many meaningful, long-lasting connections with students. On the immense collage wall in his room, pictures of students can be spotted, along with every story ever written featuring anything Central. I may be over exaggerating, but one can see how
important these relationships are to him.

“I’m going to miss the student the most. It’s the interactions, connections and relationships that you make with the youngsters. I consider them almost extensions of my family,” Mullen said.

Mullen is the glue of Central, and the extra security within the halls. You can hear him rounding students up to get to class, to pull their pants up, or to “take that hat off son.” The halls might look a little different in his absence next year, but he wanted to debunk the myth of his hallway interactions. “I
never run, but I will get on their case. I let them know that they aren’t gonna get away from me,” Mullen said.

“It’s been a blast, and there’s mixed feelings,” Mullen said. “On one hand you know when it’s time, on the other hand I want to stay a part of this community. I’ve loved my time here at Central, but it’s time to leave the nest. Once you get that Eagle-way of doing things, it stays with you.”