The name ‘Dean Mulder’ grabs the attention of many students at the high school. The senior is notorious for amping up crowds at pep rallies and bringing humor into the classroom, but not many students know the story that made that name so well known. 

When asked what their 5 minutes of fame has been, Dean Mulder, 12, replied the time around their birthday, when the family allows them to choose a restaurant to eat at. They later included that similar feelings of recognition are also shared when finding ‘Dean’ on gift shop paraphernalia. 

“I’m not one of those people who are obsessed with it, but when I see it I see if I can go over there real quick and obsess-search,” Mulder said. 

They recalled a feeling of relief when they were able to get their name engraved on a wooden block at Silver Dollar City, before the station closed down. They recall this moment as a confidence booster. They use these little moments to fuel their everyday energy. 

Mulder often confidently leads the class of ’25 in the battle for the spirit stick. They even shared that their peers will cheer them on and encourage them to assist the class presidents. 

“Usually, I try to do as much I can to contribute and to be a part of something and being a part of the pep assembly has been on my [bucket] list for a while because that is something I have been wanting to do and also be a part of StuCo, but we all know Aubrey (past class president) was the one who was really the best at that,” Mulder said.

Those who have experienced Mulders unique behavior may wonder what inspired them to be so bold. 

“First of all, I didn’t used to be as popular with the crowd as I am today, because in like 6th grade, me, my best friend, and a few other people had this small joke going around, then it became this weird bad joke, and then I kind of used that to my advantage and kind of went crazy and it turned into something fun and fame kind of grew from there,” Mulder said.

Mulders unique energy shined through at prom when his peers boosted his confidence to take on the dance floor.

“It was prom of 2024 and I was wandering around and talking to people. Hours later, there was a dance circle and people were begging and cheering me to dance and I eventually gave in. I know my dancing is bad but they loved me joining,” Mulder said.

Mulder explained that their fame does not always transfer from the pep assemblies and dances to the classroom. They describe three major types of people who they interact with on a daily basis. 

“Depending on their characteristics, for those who like being one of those who are weird and playing dumb, but having fun at the same time, those people usually perceive me as a fun person to be around and a person who wants to communicate with them. Those who support me can see what happens around me and understand a lot of things,” Mulder said. “A lot of my friends, usually just find a way to enjoy their time, and just kind of want to just do nothing in class and what not, and then there are some that just dislike me, but they are the ones making the big fuss over it, and those ones usually see me as disgusting, rude, or mean.”

Mulder says the haters’ tone and attitude lets them in on how they feel about them. They combat this by keeping calm, but they recognize that in tense situations their tone can also tense up, and often that pushes their peers to take things too far. They noted that some of their peers do not understand their quirky personality, but their only goal with their bold acts of humor is to make others laugh and smile. They also pursue this goal by smiling, greeting their peers and teachers, and going above and beyond on their classwork to impress their peers.

“For me it’s a life-long goal, and it’s that anyone that would know me or I have made impact in their lives, or whatnot, in someway, is that whenever they hear my name or see me, they would perk up and smile, because then i’ll know I did something good,” Mulder said.

As Mulder finishes up their senior year, they are trying to qualify for forensics nationals, working at Caseys, and preparing to move to Missouri, where they will attend The University of Central Missouri.