August 15, 2024
Welcome to MPA, Michelle Moudry! Michelle opened her time at MPA as a student success learning specialist on August 14. We are so excited to introduce her to our community!
From what school/organization are you coming?
I come from Great River School, a Montessori Charter School in St. Paul.
Tell us about your education and past experience.
As a learner and educator, I aim to focus on reform, equity, and access for neurodiverse learners and individuals with disabilities. My special education experience includes positions at Great River School, Montessori in Redlands, Avalon Charter School, and Richfield Middle School. Previously, as an administrator, I co-founded Cornerstone Montessori School in East St. Paul, contributed to higher education as Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning Excellence at Capella University, and was a project manager for the Minnesota Department of Education with an emphasis on youth engagement. I hold a Master of Education from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Science from Drake University and have a current Minnesota Teaching license in Learning Disabilities (K-12) and Elementary Education (1-6). It is a goal of mine to practice daily gratitude for my family, friends, colleagues, leaders, and most importantly, the many students I have known, who have patiently taught me my most cherished lessons as an educator.
What did you find appealing about MPA?
For many years, I have been impressed with the Mounds Park Academy’s mission and efforts to balance rigor, excellence, and the joy of learning. There are so many remarkable characteristics that contribute to why I am drawn to Mounds Park Academy! In addition to the highly experienced teachers from PK-12th grade, the interior and exterior environment is aesthetically beautiful, which stimulates an inviting and multisensory learning experience for all. The nutrition program is another asset that promotes healthy development of the body and brain for students. I am especially thrilled to hear about the community commitment to establishing a center focused on neurodiversity. I am committed to continuously improving my culturally responsive teaching approaches in concert with Universal Design for Learning and look forward to collaborating with colleagues to advance these efforts. I enjoy strategic planning, creativity, and implementation of research-based strategies. Mounds Park Academy is also dedicated to these practices. The warm welcome I have received from staff and leadership assures me that MPA is full of heart and dedication to the school’s mission. I feel fortunate to join this positive, student-centered community that is focused on wellness, belonging, innovation, justice, and the love of learning.
What lasting impact do you plan to have on MPA?
The lasting impact I hope to achieve with students at Mounds Park Academy is for each to confidently know how they best learn, how they collaborate and problem-solve, how they show care, how they self-care, how to be honest, how to increase their agency, how to see and hear others, and how to self-reflect. My goal is to create a genuine connection with each student that is encouraging, authentic, and empowering. I hope students will move on from our time together with an intrinsic belief that they are highly capable of meeting (or exceeding) their expectations for themselves while meaningfully contributing to the collective highest good.
What’s your big dream?
1. Stratospheric: Peace on Earth and a thriving planet …. Yes, for real. 2. Professional: Complete a terminal degree (Ph.D/Ed.D) that offers innovative strength-based, muti-modal strategies that streamline and also personalize the intervention process for students and teachers. 3. Personal: Be a trusted, present, and motivational source of love and support for my family and friends.
What are you and your family passionate about?
My husband, three teenagers, and I are passionate about wrestling with our competing schedules and transportation needs so that we may carve out valuable time for family fun. We enjoy games, biking, swimming, frisbee, camping, travel, gardening, concerts, theater, stargazing, and community activities in the Midway area of St. Paul, where we live. Although I stand firmly as a “dog person”, my family and I are incredibly in love with our feisty cats (Minerva, Mango, and Chester-AKA FOMO), and also our bright green, adorable White’s Tree Frog, Pudittle. We enjoy them all endlessly.
What’s a fun fact about you that our community would love to know?
This is a tough question for me. I am not sure the MPA community will be very impressed by this, but it might surprise people to know that when I was five years old, I wrote a lengthy fan letter (USPS, not email) to Batman (Adam West) with a lot of praise and also some advice about how to improve the show, particularly in regard to Robin’s role. Shockingly, Batman wrote me back! Now, if I could only find that letter to prove it.
