January 25, 2018
by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School
We are now in year three of our five-year strategic plan, Momentum 2020. A mentor of mine was famous for saying, “Plan the work, work the plan.” Generally speaking, a strategic plan sets forth a vision that is part inspirational and part operational. Momentum 2020 is serving its purpose and we have been hard at work implementing year by year, executing the strategy laid out in the plan.
It has become a tradition at this time of year to provide an update on our progress. Click here for a visual representation of our cumulative three-year progress.
More specifically, one year ago, I outlined four priorities flowing from Momentum 2020 that would be the focus of the 2017-2018 school year:
- Inspire innovation and creativity through staffing our new Makerspace and developing the accompanying educational program.
- Provide additional and enhanced personal counseling and guidance services to ensure the health, wellness, and wholeness of each student.
- Continue to invest in our exceptional faculty and staff through salary, benefits, and professional development.
- Further strengthen our financial vitality and sustainability.
What follows is a brief overview of progress so far this school year in addressing these four priorities, including some of the open-ended responses from the recent Net Promoter survey that MPA conducted in December. I am overjoyed to see that MPA is living up to your expectations and our strategic direction aligns with what you value most in a school.
Priority One: Inspiring innovation and creativity through staffing our new Makerspace and developing the accompanying educational program.
“When I talk about MPA to others, I first talk about the Makerspace and that my child has had French, gym, grama, music, and art since kindergarten—as well as the other basic classes.”
“MPA stays at edge of innovation, diversity training, discipline, and has strong, competent faculty.”
With an incredibly generous gift, MPA was afforded the opportunity to “inspire innovation and creativity through staffing our new Makerspace and developing the accompanying educational program.” There has been a great deal of excitement and interest in the Makerspace this school year. In just a few short months since its opening, students from every grade level have spent time in the Makerspace. It has become wildly popular among students and many consider it to be their favorite part of the school day.
Teachers have embraced the Makerspace, participating in professional development and integrating it into their curriculum. Faculty from across divisions and departments have taken advantage of the Makerspace by designing new lessons or enhancing existing lessons. Creativity, design thinking, problem-based, hands-on, interdisciplinary, and practical learning characterize the educational experience provided by the Markerspace. For instance, fourth graders spent time using the principles of design thinking, CAD (Computer Aided Design) program, and the 3D printers to construct boats and study volume displacement. In another example, Upper School Spanish students choose a legend from the time of the Mexican/Aztec conquest or colonization. Using the Makerspace, students chose a medium in which to visually construct their story with a target audience of Lower School students.
Plans are underway to open the Makerspace after school and one weekend a month. Makerspace coordinator Nicole Koen is planning our first annual Maker Fest, a community-wide event to showcase the various talents of MPA makers. By the end of the school year, every student will either have, or have had the opportunity, to spend time in the Makerspace either in structured or unstructured ways.
Priority Two: Provide additional and enhanced personal counseling and guidance services to ensure the health, wellness, and wholeness of each student.
“The focus on mental health awareness and depression this year is very beneficial, and it is great to see the school taking this critical topic seriously. Thank you!”
“MPA supports its students, parents, and families in academics, mental health, socio-emotional growth, and counseling and cares for every family in the community.”
In my January 11 Panther Post article, I pointed to the rising issue of adolescent depression and anxiety. Our school’s commitment to educate the whole child also calls for us to honor and address the social, emotional, and mental health of our students. A new position was created to provide counseling for grades seven through twelve, complimenting existing services in Lower School. Together with our school psychologist, we now have three individuals to support the social, emotional, and mental health of our students and assist parents.
Over the course of the fall semester, our new counselor, Ashley Cooper, has provided direct support to approximately 67 students (17 middle school, 50 upper school) and conducted more than 215 appointments. Appointments have included individual/group sessions with students, consultations with teachers and/or parents, and phone calls with treating providers. Ashley has given monthly presentations in ninth grade seminar classes about mindfulness and stress management, hosted new student groups for seventh and eighth graders, launched Mental Health Lunch Talks in the Upper School, collaborated with Dr. Savage to conduct Signs of Suicide programming for grades 7-12, presented information about sexual assault in Upper School classrooms, and worked with teachers to support students who are struggling.
Priority Three: Continue to invest in our exceptional faculty and staff through salary, benefits, and professional development.
“I value that MPA has excellent teachers who deliver a rigorous curriculum in an environment where students are known and valued.”
“The faculty encourages learning and exploration. They have time to connect with the students as individuals. That’s rare at many schools—it’s expected at MPA.”
In my January 18 Panther Post article, I tried to convey the way in which the school works to attract, reward, and retain the incredibly faculty and staff we have at MPA and why it is so important to continually invest in them. A third priority challenges the school to continually invest in our exceptional faculty and staff through salary, benefits, and professional development. There is more to be done to increase salaries and retirement to remain competitive with local independent schools. This has been a challenge as the cost of health care insurance has risen in double digits each year, sometimes considerably.
We have made great progress in supporting teacher’s interests to develop professionally by significantly increasing professional development funding. After many years of not having moneys available for teachers to attend workshops, seminars, and conventions, faculty and staff are now using this increased funding to learn new skills that they are bringing back to their classes. Some recent examples include: Annie Stewart, PreK assistant teacher, went to a science conference for new ideas to implement in the PreK science curriculum, Heather Mastel, Lower and Middle School theatre teacher, participated in a one-day seminar at the Children’s Theater. Upper School math teacher Wendy Sullivan took a coding class, and new Upper School English teacher, Katherine Myers, presented a seminar for Pre-AP teachers on argumentative writing.
All employees have received training on both sexual abuse awareness and prevention as well as sexual assault prevention and awareness. The sexual abuse training was led by Maggie Conley, an RN in Child Abuse Case Management at Midwest Children’s Resource Center (MCRC), a specialty clinic at Children’s Minnesota. Paul Ang from the Aurora Center at the University of Minnesota conducted training for employees on awareness and prevention of sexual assault and harassment.
We contracted with a professional consultant, Dr. Abdul Omari, to work with all employees over the course of the next two years on topics related to diversity. During the MEA break, Dr. Omari presented on cultural and implicit bias, how it affects our interactions with others, and how we can discuss difficult topics by seeing and identifying biases. He will be back in February and June to continue his work with us. Dr. Omari also helped facilitate an important and difficult conversation with the Upper School Diversity Club this fall.
Priority Four: Further strengthen our financial vitality and sustainability.
“Most things I observe are above and beyond the call of duty including parent and family support. I feel my child is safe at MPA. The building and grounds look exceptionally maintained and clean.”
“Strengths include great teachers and curriculum, communications, music, individual sports, upkeep and improvements to facility and grounds.”
I am happy to report that our financial vitality is strong. Thanks to you and the generosity of our friends, alumni, and employees, we continue to enjoy outstanding philanthropic success. Your generosity has led to significant reinvestment in our facility, such as the recent renovation of the Black Box Theatre and the construction of the Makerspace. Through wise and careful stewardship, the Administration, together with the Board of Trustees, is vigilant in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the school.
“The culture of caring and respect is impressive. Very few schools succeed to the degree that MPA does in this regard.”
“Very strong (positive) focus on MPA’s values and culture. Dream big, do right is not just a sound bite. MPA clearly provides caring and individualized support and education of all students and teachers show genuine commitment to a child’s learning and development.”
The comments you provided in the Net Promoter survey reconfirm that MPA is meeting and often exceeding your expectations through these plans and priorities. The Net Promoter score that you gave does as well. This calculated by answering a key question, using a 0-10 scale: How likely is it that you would recommend Mounds Park Academy to a friend or colleague? Two hundred and sixty four parents took the survey with an overall score of 60.
Fred Reichheld, author of “The Ultimate Question,” found the average Net Promoter Score among the companies he surveyed was 10 to 15 percent, so by definition, if a score is north of 15 percent, it is above average, and one could expect that company to grow at a rate faster than the economy. A small handful of companies have achieved a Net Promoter Score of at least 50 percent, which Reichheld defines as “world class.” The average score according to Survey Monkey is 16.
I am incredibly pleased with our score and yet there is always more to do. Over the last three years, together we have enjoyed incredibly success and demonstrated dramatic improvement. As I look ahead, I see our focus shift from “new” and adding “more” to striving for continuous improvement and sustainability. Following the overwhelming and positive affirmation of our teachers and staff, it will be our priority in the next year to strive to invest in them by increasing salaries and benefits. As always, I am grateful for your support and partnership. Thank you for entrusting your children to Mounds Park Academy.
