September 30, 2019
Upper School Admission coordinator
Coach
Class of 2009
How many years have you been at MPA?
I’ve been here four years as a member of the admission team and coach. Between 1996 and 2009 I was a student!
What do you love about MPA?
I love athletics at MPA. Our culture has found a way to balance success and participation, skill building and teamwork, competition and collaboration. Athletics were my favorite part of being a student at MPA and have continued to be an integral part of my relationship to the MPA community.
How does MPA nurture students who forever dream big and do right?
MPA is a community of families brought together not by common geography, but by common values. MPA students are surrounded by families who exemplify what it means to be successful high achievers but also global citizens of the world. The abundance of role models in this community makes for well rounded students hungry to emulate the high achievers they surround themselves with.
What would you tell a parent considering MPA?
Mounds Park Academy is an investment in your children. There are families who chose to invest in travel, cabins, and boats, but an MPA family knows prioritizing funds to ensure a strong future for their children is the most important investment.
In what ways are you preparing students for life in the 21st century?
As a coach, I too prepare students for a life lived in the new century. I hold student athletes accountable to communicate not just with each other as a team, but also with me when they have an issue like missing practice. I work to enhance their sense of drive and motivation, developing with them creative ways to work smarter, not always harder. And, I carefully dislodge them from their comfort zones, some for the first time in their lives. I model empathy by showing the utmost care to support their social-emotional selves as they learn as they master a new skill and I facilitate collaboration and teamwork to pick them back up after a stumble.
What do you hope for MPA students in 20 years?
I hope for three things. I hope they see their world from a global perspective. I hope they love learning and maintain a healthy curiosity. And, I hope they look back on their time at MPA and continue to feel the same sense of community and camaraderie that they feel now.
Mounds Park Academy, a PreK-12 private school in Saint Paul, is currently accepting applications for the 2019-20 school year. For more information about admission and to schedule your tour, visit moundsparkacademy.org/admission. We look forward to getting to know your family!
