Mounds Park Academy

Class of 2020: Charles Grimes

June 5, 2020

Charles Grimes As the 2019–20 school year comes to an end, we’re sharing the college choice stories of the Class of 2020!

In what grade did you come to MPA?

I came to Mounds Park Academy in 9th grade after looking at a variety of college preparatory schools in the Twin Cities area. MPA’s small class sizes, laptop program, and modern facilities piqued my interest during open houses and my shadowing experience. However, I ultimately chose MPA for high school because I knew my time there would be a valuable experience full of opportunities to try new things, find a passion, and challenge myself.

How did you come to choose the college that you did?

I chose to attend Barret Honors College at Arizona State University because it is a small academic community within a larger university setting. I found during my time at MPA, small classroom sizes were a huge factor in my academic success and wanted a similar environment for college. Barrett offers these small class sizes with focused and dedicated faculty, yet has the resources and opportunities of the larger university. Therefore, I chose Barrett because the combination of both these factors will best prepare me well for success later in life. Read More

Building A Better Future

June 4, 2020

by Dr. Bill Hudson, head of school

“Together, we are building a better future. By cultivating critical thinking, creative inquiry, and social responsibility, we inspire and empower our children to improve an ever-changing and sometimes, challenging world. We do that though a rigorous, yet joyful, education delivered by an exceptional faculty dedicated to fostering caring relationships with their students.”

Those were my words in my first Panther Post message of the 2019-20 school year, on August 29. As construction finished on our new Family Commons and Martin Lenz Harrison Library, I seized upon the metaphor of building as a theme for the school year, challenging ourselves to provide the vision, blueprints, tools, and materials our students need to realize our mission, fulfill their potential, and positively impact our world. I could never have imagined just how prophetic the theme would turn out to be.

The world is, indeed, ever-changing and challenging and our lived reality this spring and early summer has made that abundantly clear to all of us. The COVID-19 pandemic accentuated the strengths and flaws of ourselves, our institutions, and our society. And yet, our students emerge stronger, with the resiliency, flexibility, and independence that might not have otherwise been cultivated if not for the pandemic. Our exceptional faculty were able to pivot quickly while never losing hold of the caring relationships they have with students. Families have been supportive and understanding as difficult decisions have been made to keep our community safe.

The raw, visceral murder of George Floyd and ensuing unrest and violence has laid bare the fissures of society many gloss over or choose to ignore. Yet through critical thinking, creative inquiry, and honest conversation, our young people hold the promise of change where our generation, and generations before us, have failed. The MPA curriculum, grounded in character education and the humanities, in concert with the sciences, provide the tools and materials necessary to build a better future, to “stir the human spirit, stand for justice, and shake the world.” Indeed, building a better future requires our students to dream big and do right.

Thank you for entrusting your children to MPA—I am grateful for your partnership this school year. We are united in our shared belief that education is fundamentally an act of hope and that by investing in our children, we are indeed building a better future. I am confident that the strength of our community will carry us forward to a new day. Have a wonderful summer and I look forward to coming together in August.

PS: Please know you will hear from me on a regular basis this summer, as I share more information about plans for the fall. Our next communication is scheduled for Tuesday, June 23. Do not hesitate to reach out to your division director as questions arise!

Five Class of 2020 Members Receive Graduate Certificates of Distinction

June 3, 2020

Five MPA seniors received and presented on their Graduate Certificates of Distinctions last week. For the first time in MPA history, three seniors were STEM recipients: Misk Khalif, Jordan Akers, and Annie Portoghese. Two seniors were Fine Art recipients: Charles Grimes and Solveig Svenniveg-Brosi.

Graduate Certificates of Distinction are designed with the belief that Upper School students can be architects of their education. The program recognizes students who have a passion within a discipline that drives them. These students are exploring their passions while staying committed to a balanced education. All MPA Upper School students are eligible to work toward a single Certificate of Distinction in one of three areas: Fine Arts, Global, or STEM.

Misk spoke on her role as founder and executive director of the STEM Center For Girl Innovators, where she manages operations such as tutoring, science experiments, coding, and mentorship programs. She is a passionate advocate for gender and racial equity in the STEM field, which is why she founded the Center for Girl Innovators early in her STEM career. With hopes to pursue a degree in medical research, she centered her final project on Gut-Brain Axis, which is the biochemical reaction between the nervous and gastrointestinal systems. Read More

2020 Virtual Senior Service Fair

June 2, 2020

Please join in the celebration of the service work for the class of 2020 in a virtual display on the MPA website. Due to the COVID19 pandemic, the annual Senior Service Fair could not be held on campus as usual, so the Fair was moved to a virtual format allowing seniors to share their service reflections with the larger community. While we all wish we could be together in person, this online display is still a great celebration of what the seniors were able to get done. Given the events of the spring of 2020, their accomplishments are especially hopeful and impressive.

There were a large variety of service projects this year. Students did work with the Minnesota Youth Ski League, volunteered with the organization Serving Shepherds, coached for a local tennis nonprofit, delivered meals for Meals on Wheels, and much more. Senior Aaliyah Kellogg volunteered with a nonprofit called Female Refugees for the Future, which was started by two of her classmates, Nasri Maktal and Priya Manda. The organization aims to help first generation women and immigrants through service and education. “I’m so appreciative of this opportunity to connect with womxn and hear their perspective and experiences,” shared Aaliyah, “It is so important for people to be allies for other groups as they can help amplify and spread their message while still giving individuals the platform to do so, and I’m so grateful I was able to do this.”

Nathan Harvanko conducted research for the History Unfolded, which is a program run by the National Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. “I looked through newspapers from the Twin Cities and St. Cloud,” said Nathan, “and found many interesting articles which told bits and pieces of the story of the Holocaust.” Nathan’s research helps the National Holocaust Museum gain a bigger picture about how Americans were learning of the Holocaust through their daily newspapers.

These highlighted service projects are only a small snapshot of how the Class of 2020 gave back to their communities this year. Visit the Upper School Community Service Project page to read more about their projects.

Mental Health During Virtual Learning

June 1, 2020

At Mounds Park Academy, our community is built upon shared values, strongly committed to freethinking and collaboration, diversity and connection. Right now, our shared commitment to each other is helping us collectively get through today’s uncertainty with understanding and compassion. Our whole-child approach that attends to the intellectual, social and emotional growth of our students is apparent now more than ever, even though we are not physically together.

MPA’s distance learning classes are continuing to challenge and engage our students intellectually (see example at Innovation & Student-led Learning Enhance Online Science at MPA). At the same time, our students are connected to each other and their teachers—and to our school counselors, a critical lifeline to both our students and parents who are guiding us on how to persevere during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our connected community, built on our small classes, means that our children are known and understood, which is critical given current levels of stress, fear and uncertainty, as is our collective creativity to meet the social, emotional, and intellectual needs of our students. Read More

Class of 2020: Amanda Khouw

May 31, 2020

As the 2019–20 school year comes to an end, we’re sharing the college choice stories of the Class of 2020!

In what grade did you come to MPA?

I came to MPA as a freshman in high school. I ended up meeting the best classmates ever (Class of 2020!) and created friendships from different age groups. MPA truly gave me opportunities to thrive as a student and to share my passions with those around me. I have made eternal memories that will be forever cherished.

How did you come to choose the college that you did?

Carleton College was one of my top reach schools on my college list and I was fortunate enough to be admitted. It has an incredibly diverse community alongside with an academically challenging environment. Carleton College is also very close to my own home. Meaning that I can go home easily and grab what I need in the cities. I am extremely excited to join Carleton College as it was a very pleasant surprise to find out that I had been admitted after the “official” Decision Day on May 1. I hope I can make new friends as I did the same in MPA and be able to pursue my career goals. Read More

Developing A Sense Of Belonging

May 31, 2020

The following essay is adapted from MPA Class of 2020 member Jordan Akers’ Senior Speech.

The enemy was drawing closer. Footsteps echoed in the distance, and all I could do was sit and wait. I had my plan, but this was sure to be bloody. This battle, this war if you will, was more than violent. The conflict, between who I objectively was and who I so desperately wanted to become, countered all laws of nature. Any free will was a causality in this war, and my boon was the masculine persona. It was the ambition for which I was desperately fighting.

There have, of course, been battles of a similar nature throughout history. Several years ago, my father was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Encephalopathy. His body attacked itself until he lost the ability to walk. He lost his balance, memories, and fine motor skills. Only upon the administration of an intravenous steroid did his condition begin to improve. It was his secret weapon. Even then, any sense of normalcy was far in the future. Repairing the damage took time, money, and endless work. Read More

Violence & Unrest: An Important Message From Dr. Jules Nolan

May 30, 2020

by Dr. Jules Nolan, Mounds Park Academy school psychologist

Your children may be asking questions about the events in Minneapolis and St. Paul that have evolved over the past week. It can be difficult to talk to them about racism, violence, social injustice, and unrest, but it is important to do so. Here are some tips for talking about these difficult issues.

For Lower School Children
First, help them feel that you and your family are safe. We do this by managing our own strong emotions of fear and anxiety, and co-regulating with them. When we feel calm, it helps them to feel calm.

Answer questions directly, but don’t give them more information than they are asking for. If they ask about the protests you could say, “People are marching and carrying signs because some people are being hurt because of the color of their skin and protesters are asking for it to stop.” Turn off media and watch what you say in front of them, even if it appears that they are not listening. They hear everything.

This is a good time to develop emotional vocabulary by naming feelings. Remind your children that while it doesn’t feel nice to be afraid or sad or worried, they are strong enough to have these feelings and still be okay. Then talk about the things they like to do that help them feel better. Help them manage their own feelings by modeling managing your feelings.

You can talk to small children about racial injustice in a simple way, for instance by saying that some people are mean to other people for no reason and that we stick up for people who are treated unfairly. Talk about times they helped others who were hurting or sad. Then help them to participate in some benevolent action, donating food, cleaning up neighborhoods, making cards, and other acts of service. If you would like to act locally, here are some organizations that are asking for help.

For Middle School Children
They also need to be assured of your family’s safety and we co-regulate with our children in this stage too. While they may seem more oblivious to our emotional states, they can “feel” it when we are tense, angry, worried, sad, etc., and it may make them feel agitated even if they don’t know why. Practice calming yourself. Read More

Upper School Clubs Host Racial Justice Discussions With Local Judge

May 30, 2020

During their lunch and recess on Thursday and Friday, Social Consciousness And Racial Justice & Equity Club hosted two Zoom sessions with Upper School students, Middle School students, and faculty and staff to discuss, listen, and reflect on racism in Minnesota and the devastating murder of Minneapolis man, George Floyd, which has mobilized millions to protest on social media and participate in protests across the country.

Beginning with questions like “What responsibilities should the media have when covering cases of police brutality?” and “What are the differences between covert and overt racism?” the group also incorporated suggestions of personal action steps and phone calls to make to fight the injustices they were passionately discussing together. They finished their meeting brainstorming questions to prepare for their guest speaker on Friday, Hennepin Country District Judge Juan Hoyos. Read More

Class of 2020: Catherine Moore

May 29, 2020

As the 2019–20 school year comes to an end, we’re sharing the college choice stories of the Class of 2020!

In what grade did you come to MPA?

I came to MPA in Kindergarden. I loved the community Mounds Park Academy has. I especially like the great education I have gotten along with my classmates.

How did you come to choose the college that you did?

I have wanted to go to a smaller school since I could remember. I only looked at smaller liberal art colleges because I knew what kind of school I wanted to continue my education at. I knew that coming from the smaller class sizes and small community at Mounds Park Academy I would want a smaller college. St. Olaf emphasized the small class sizes, along with a similar teacher student relationship that I got at Mounds Park Academy. I also wanted to make academics a priority along with being able to play sports. St. Olaf gives me the chance to thrive academically while playing volleyball.

What are you most excited about as you embark on your college experience?

I am excited to meet new people and to experience new personalities.The class of 2020 has become my family over that last 13 years, but I am excited to meet some new people. I want to push myself out of my comfort zone and into trying new things. Read More