By TARA HETTINGER
Sitting in her office and being distracted by her son and his girlfriend who were visiting from college, Scribner Middle School Principal Rhonda Mull didn’t notice the more than 800 students, teachers and staff who were lining the halls throughout the school Monday afternoon.
Mull had just been named Middle School Principal of the Year by the Indiana Association of School Principals Sunday night, after going up to represent Floyd, Clark and other area counties in district 12.
Mull realized something was up once she heard the school’s loudspeakers playing the song, “Celebration.” So, she went out to the hallway to investigate and discovered the entire student body chanting “Mrs. Mull,” holding signs and cheering.
Her son, his girlfriend and a few students then took her for a tour of the halls, leading the way with a banner like a parade.
“They couldn’t have done anything that would have meant more,” Mull said with tears in her eyes. “That will be a highlight of my life for me.”
Mull, who is in her ninth year as principal at Scribner, said she attributes a lot her achievements to a supporting staff, who works hard and shares her mission of increasing student achievement.
During her time, Mull said she has implemented a literacy program to help students who are behind their grade level in reading. Students can take an additional reading class instead of an elective to get back on track.
Another change involves a class students take if they don’t do well on quarterly assessments in the basic subjects. That class focuses on getting them to the level they need to be, Mull said. Other students take an elective during this time.
“I really do believe all students can learn. Some of them need more time. So, we’ve carved out time in the day where students can get help in math and English,” Mull said.
Mull said both programs have been in place for a few years. Prior to Mull taking her position, the school ranked in the 40s in the percentage of students who passed both portions of the ISTEP. For the fall of 2008, that number was 60.1 percent, according to the Indiana Department of Education.
“There’s still more work to be done,” Mull said.
Reaching this statewide recognition is pushing Mull to do even more.
“It motivates me to want to do better for those 800 kids we just walked by — to do better and to work harder,” Mull said.
Molly Frank, who teaches business at the school, said Mull is very deserving of the honor.
“She gets down in the ditches with us to solve problems,” Frank said, adding that Mull makes sacrifices before asking others to do so. “It’s helped make the atmosphere we have here today at Scribner.”
“Rhonda is really deserving. She is a real pro. She understands kids and parents,” Superintendent Bruce Hibbard said. “Every time I’ve come to Scribner, I’ve been really impressed with the kids’ behavior, the instruction going on in the classroom and again she does a really nice job for us. I couldn’t be prouder.”
