At home, you teach your children values. Shouldn’t their school do the same? Respect and integrity are integral components of the Mounds Park Academy mission, and character development is woven into the MPA experience. This is one way that we prepare students to forever dream big and do right.

Lower School faculty carefully crafted and implemented a formal character development program called CHAMP (Character Happens at Mounds Park) in Lower School. Each month PreK through fourth grade students come together to learn about character traits such as friendship, cooperation, compassion, respect, self-control, responsibility, inclusiveness, courage, mindfulness, and integrity. What’s unique about MPA’s character development program is that students teach each other about character during monthly assemblies. In addition, service learning is embedded in the CHAMP program and in the classroom. Students learn the importance of giving back and helping others in ways that are integrated in the classroom curriculum. Our CHAMP curriculum has made a difference at MPA. Students strive to apply the character traits they’ve learned in school to their own lives. 

In the Middle School, character education is woven into every facet of a student’s day. By challenging students to take risks and push themselves now, in a safe environment, we seek to foster a lifelong habit of ethical, active citizenship, as well as give students the confidence to navigate unknown opportunities and challenges. Our program is individualized and relevant to our unique student body, thereby fostering student ownership and compelling students to dream big and do right. All Middle School students learn and follow the Middle School Community Standards. These standards are woven into the curriculum to foster student agency and encourage growth in the areas of self-awareness, community contribution, and executive functioning. The Upper School peer leaders also focus on these qualities during their monthly meetings with seventh and eighth grade students. Eighth grade students culminate their middle school experience by working with faculty mentors to shape a presentation that showcases their character strengths and learning journey.  

The transition to Upper School at MPA begins with a Grade 9 Seminar in which students supported in their academic and life skills development. Whether a students has been at MPA for many years or is brand new to the school, this seminar will guide him or her in character development, ethical decision-making with technology, time management, dealing with stress, and more. In 10th grade, MPA students embark on a Respect Retreat and a team-building trip to Deep Portage through Youth Frontiers. In their senior year, students gather for assemblies to learn from professionals regarding serious issues such as self defense, personal finance, chemical dependency, and life after MPA.

In addition, all Upper School students must volunteer in the community for a required number of hours, and they may choose an organization with a mission that is important to them. Seniors complete a Senior Service Project, which is the culmination of many years of service learning and understanding the importance of giving back. A celebration towards the end of their senior year allows students to share their service learning experience with the MPA community. Many seniors also cultivate their character through projects in MPA's Public Policy course. They choose a policy to research and represent, and Minnesota laws have been passed with the help of the diligent students. Examples of public policy projects have been support of Minnesota's smoking ban, submission of a law prohibiting all cell phone use while operating a motor vehicle, and organization of a rally at the State Capitol to raise awareness of Minnesota's weak anti-bullying laws.