While working in his classroom, Trey Cullins hears the door open – it’s his father Larry Cullins popping in to bring him a donut.
Only his father also happens to be his co-worker. Sometimes it is the other way around and Trey Cullins is going into his dad’s classroom to ask about a movie they watched together.
Trey Cullins said that it has been an absolute joy to teach at the same school as his dad.
“I think working with him has allowed us to celebrate each other’s work.” Cullins said. “It is really comforting and nice to just see my dad at work and to spend more time with him, especially as he is nearing the end of his career.”
The older Cullins said that he is lucky to work with his son.
“As I get older, having your son in the same workplace is truly a blessing,” Cullins said. “I get to see Trey everyday, we share good discussions about teaching.”
Central doesn’t just have this father and son duo. ELA teacher Dalton Peters (son) and science teacher Shannon Peters (father) both work at Central together as well.
Dalton Peters said that he sees his dad every once and awhile at work.
“I go down to his room and we talk, and we stay in good connection,” Peters said. “It is kind of like being a student, you got a good person that you can go talk to.”
The elder Peters said that he is looking forward to coaching with his son.
“I have not really had the opportunity to work with him. He is in the classroom and I am in the classroom,” Peters said. “It is nice having him in the building and it is going to be great coaching with him.”
Dalton Peters and English teacher Trey Cullins both attended Central and graduated in 2016. Trey Cullins was once taught by Katrina Paradis, Ryan Modin, Anthony Slothower and Michael Hall but now they are his colleagues.
“Ms. Paradis is wonderful and has been a great influence on me, especially as a teacher. I had her for creative writing and she made class so fun,” Cullins said. “Mr. Hall was my head football coach, teaching next to him has been amazing. I get to see how strong of a teacher he is outside of coaching.”
Paradis said she recalls Cullins being a very good student in her English class.
“His now wife was his girlfriend in high school and they were in my creative writing class together,” Paradis said. “He was super conscientious. He was very disciplined about making sure that he was studious and making sure that he had all of his assignments done. His writing, even at that age was, incredible and he wrote some amazing stories.”
The younger Peters said that he has learned to admire what the teachers he had at Central have done for him and how they helped him become who he is today.
“I had a lot of teachers that are still here like Mr. Cullins, the art teacher,” Peters said. “I loved his creativity in class and the way he would approach the students. He would let us be free.”
Dalton Peters, who also was taught by Paradis, she said that Peters had the discipline and the pride of a Mustang.
“He is very spiritual first of all, so in his writing that really came across,” Paradis said. “He is a thinker and so thoughtful in his writing. He handled himself beautifully in the classroom, kids admired him. He was also an incredible wrestler.”
Shannon Peters coached both of his sons, Dalton and Taylor, in wrestling when they attended Central.
“It is a little different when it is your kids that are performing versus another student,” Peters said. “I tried to treat him the same as I did everybody else. I know they had pressure being a coach’s son.”
Dalton Peters said that he has a love/hate relationship with being coached by his dad.
“My dad was really good at not singling me out as his son,” Peters said. “I do think he had high expectations for me. It is tough to be the head coach’s son, especially when you have a dad who is strict with rules. It was kind of tough love at times but I would not trade it for anything.”
The Peterses are going to be coaching together this school year.
“We both love the sport. We both love helping high school kids and just kids in general,” (Dalton) Peters said. “What that sport can do for kids is amazing. It is going to be really cool to have him in my corner.”
The elder Peters has been teaching for 30 years and he said that he loves how every day is different with science.
“When I was in high school, I did not like science,” Peters said. “When I got to college I had to take chemistry and in that process I started figuring out things and really got involved. It was just fun for me.”
Art teacher Larry Cullins has been teaching for 46 years and he said that he grew up with art as a part of his lifestyle.
“I started teaching in the fall of 1979 in Denver,” Cullins said. “My mother was a very creative person and artist. I was a sculptor in high school but fell in love with paint in college. I wanted to be around art everyday.”
The elder Peters said that he does a lot of different things with his son.
“We go hunting together a lot. We both like to bow hunt,” Peters said. “Every summer I help out on the farm. So I have always had the kids with me in the summer.”
The Cullinses spend time together outside of school by watching movies together.
“It is hard to find the time, so my dad and I’s thing lately has been that we go see movies,” (Trey) Cullins said. “We always see the weird ones. My dad is a big western guy, so every so often we will watch a western together. He has shown me over the years so many movies that influenced my taste.”
Trey Cullins said that his dad was an inspiration for him to become a teacher.
“I did not feel pressured by them to be a teacher,” Cullins said. “But I do think what it really was, was seeing their interactions with past students, like several years later we would run into people that were 10 years past and I remember when I was younger thinking that is so cool. I want to have a lasting impact.”
