On August 10th, 2019, beloved English teacher Mr. Jimmy Mullins, passed away. Mr. Mullins was a passionate English teacher at Oakmont for 25 years, retiring in 2006. In addition to being an English teacher, Mr. Mullins served as The Oakmonitor advisor for 24 years and created and developed OTV. 

Mr. Mullins taught for 35 years in total at Monty Tech, B. F. Brown, and Oakmont. According to the current principal, Mr. Uminski, Mr. Mullins did a lot for Oakmont and for the Oakmont community. In addition to running OTV and The Oakmonitor, he also coached tennis, led an intervention program, ran a student radio show, and advocated fiercely for teachers’ rights within the teachers association. 

Above all else, Mullins truly cared about journalism and especially his students’ voices in The Oakmonitor. During his time teaching, Mullins stressed that in order to be a truly comprehensive high school, Oakmont must have a strong school paper and Mr. Mullins dedicated his career to just that. 

Mullins was passionate about letting his students and writers share their voice through The Oakmonitor and he made sure nothing obstructed them from doing so. He wanted to deliver the news without any bias and he made sure The Oakmonitor never showed any signs of it and made students think and form opinions on their own. 

Mrs. Cote, current english teacher at Oakmont and former colleague of Mullins, said “kids literally lined up to take his classes.” Cote also stated that Mullins’ classes were no walk in the park either; he demanded the very best of his students and because of that so many of his students pursued careers in communications. 

Another former colleague of Mullins, Mr. Secino, current engineering teacher at Oakmont, emphasized that “from a student standpoint, [Mullins] was an absolutely incredible teacher – he inspired kids.” Secino also mentioned that Mullins’ classes were constantly winning awards for media and journalism year after year. 

According to current music teacher, Mr. DeMoura, “The students adored him because he was a down to earth type of person.” 

Mullins helped students earn their freedoms and an embrace independence. He wasn’t one to only give students answers, but he also encouraged problem solving since many of his courses’ assignments culminated in published pieces or productions. 

Everybody who knew Mullins, or as most people referred to him as ‘Jimmy’, knew that he was a standup guy who could light up any room with his sense of humor. Uminski said Mullins had an incredible sense of humor but could be serious and professional when he needed to be and then instantly lighten the situation again with his humor.  

In addition to being a fan favorite among students, many of his colleagues looked up to him too. Mullins loved to mentor new teachers, and although he was not the type of person to push his ideas onto anyone, he would always share his ideas and give advice to anyone who asked.

“He was the epitome of what a good teacher should be,” said Secino. He later went on to say that teachers looked up to Mr. Mullins, and that he personally always saw Mullins as an idol and mentor. 

“He was a fierce friend who always had your back,” said Cote. She later shared that if Mullins was your friend he would always go to bat for you, defend you, and help you no matter what. 

In addition to everything else he did at Oakmont, Mullins was also a strong advocate for teachers’ rights within the Teachers’ Association. He wanted to make sure that teachers were well off and supported because he thought that if teachers were happy with their environment that it would create a better environment for students to learn. 

Mullins was always trying to make Oakmont a better place for everyone. DeMoura explained that “he tried to make the Oakmont faculty feel like a family,” and many of Mullins’ former colleagues try to continue that idea in the Oakmont faculty today. 

Every teacher leaves their mark at Oakmont but there are few to do so as much as Mr. Mullins. “He did a lot for Oakmont,” Uminski said. “One of the reasons Oakmont is the type of school it is, is because of Mr. Mullins.” Although none of the current students at Oakmont had Mr. Mullins as a teacher, this school would not have been the same without him.