Mounds Park Academy

May 29, 2020

Dear MPA Community,

In yesterday’s Panther Post, I wrote about the Class of 2020 and their incredible compassion and commitment to raise their voices and use their gifts to “stir the human spirit, stand for justice, and shake the world.” Those words continued to race through my mind, as I awoke in a city that is filled with pain and violence. The murder of George Floyd and the ensuing events this week, make me feel angry, disheartened, and disillusioned. I’m sure you feel similarly this morning.

When I feel hopeless and powerless, I turn to our students for strength and inspiration. Today is no exception. The voices of our students speak wisdom amidst the confusion, bring hope amidst the frustration, ensure love amidst the grief, and call for justice amidst the anger.

MPA, and schools in general, are poised to help facilitate conversations, present learning opportunities, and provide safe places for students to wrestle with difficult topics. For instance, yesterday, more than 60 Upper School students and faculty joined together for a virtual conversation about the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police. This conversation, led by the Social Consciousness and Racial Justice and Equity student organizations, centered around challenging and thought-provoking questions about police brutality, overt vs. covert racism, systemic oppression and the role of media in covering this week’s events. Read More

Save The Date For The Virtual Yearbook Assembly

May 28, 2020

Save the date for the Virtual Yearbook Assembly next week! The MPA Yearbook Assembly will be held virtually at 9 AM on Friday, June 5.

Please visit yearbooksigning.jostens.com to learn more about the digital yearbook signing pages in order to participate in our beloved yearbook signing traditions and leave notes for students and peers virtually!

Celebrate Sage Dining’s 30th Birthday

May 28, 2020

In honor of Sage Dining’s 30th birthday, Sage has added six new cooking demonstrations to the SAGE at Home video showcase! This week’s theme focuses on the Crossroads concept, the intersection of fun and flavor, where Sage offers an ever-changing variety of dishes with a street-food twist.

There’s also a video about how to make sure your food is fully cooked.

What The Class Of 2020 Has Given Our Community

May 28, 2020

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

I have a number of books on my shelf, waiting to be read. I’ve started a few of them, including “Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World” by former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and “Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World by Olga Khazan.” What do these two books in particular have in common? They remind me of our wonderful Class of 2020 who will graduate in just over a week. Before jumping to the conclusion that this class are a group of lonely weirdos, let me explain.

According to author Olga Khazan, everyone, in some way or another, is a little weird. That’s a good thing because we all have different talents and ideas to contribute, and a perspective that is all our own. Khazan goes on to say that to make the most of our weirdness, it’s important to recognize what makes us special, examine how it functions in our lives, and consider how to use it to our advantage. The Class of 2020 has long impressed me with their willingness to embrace their own uniqueness, but also appreciate and accept the individuality of others.

Some may call the Class of 2020 “weird,” but they are anything but. They wield their distinctiveness as a superpower and are not shy to place it in service of others. For example, in her senior speech, Priya Manda poignantly shared her experience of growing up struggling for acceptance and learning to harness her unique religious and ethnic identity to improve society. “I come from a family who has always fought for what they believe in, and this, combined with the passion of my peers at MPA, inspired my interest in social advocacy. I learned how to use my naturally, talkative personality to find my voice on issues I had taught myself to be silent on. I worked to create safe spaces for kids who, like me, didn’t have any.”

Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy writes from the perspective of a doctor, bringing to light the reality that loneliness can be as harmful to our health as smoking. Humans, by nature, have a vital need for social connection. It was Dr. John Cacioppo who developed a theory of loneliness rooted in the observation that humans have survived as a species not because of physical advantages but because of the ability to communicate and work together in groups.

Our seniors like to laugh together, hug one another, cheer for one another, and share with one another. It is not unusual to find them piled into tight groups in the Hart Commons, lamenting a difficult Calc or Physics test, and then laughing together about their struggles. In fact, the class invented the term “cuddle puddle” to explain this phenomenon. Their commitment to community is not reserved solely for themselves. They have worked hard to include underclassmen in school events and in everyday conversations. They have not established themselves as ‘seniors’ by ‘ruling,’ but by ‘including’ and have been ever the more successful for it.

How ironic that this class who collectively valued community and connectedness are unable to end their MPA career together as a school community. Worried that they did not have an opportunity to say goodbye, they wrote a letter to their classmates to urge them to strive to “Dream Big and Do Right”: “The Class of 2020 worked hard, set goals, and achieved them. However, we recognized how our future was not a competition with each other. We learned our success was dictated by us. We learned we were more successful collaborating and supporting each other than competing.”

I was particularly moved by the collection of six-word memoirs written by the senior class. They speak a truth so much more than I could ever capture:

Saved my life, gave me life. Lilly Ramalingham
Expected a school, found a home. Galen Juliusson
Everything, friends, home, love. It’s everything. Emma Finch
New Kid, Strange kid, Loved kid. Quincy Lewis

I am grateful for the many gifts the senior class have given our community and I look forward with great confidence and in anticipation of how these gifts will impact our world in the years ahead. There is no doubt in my mind that these amazing incredible young people will indeed “stir the human spirit, stand for justice, and shake the world.”

Thank You For A Joyful MPA Book Festival!

May 28, 2020

The annual MPA Parents Association Book Festival has left us with many awesome books to carry us through the summer, along with proceeds for our library to purchase new books to benefit our library, teachers, and greater community! It was so wonderful to see Valley Book Seller, Usborne Books, and Breakthrough Twin Cities highlighted on our social media platforms, and all the great responses from our community.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made the Book Festival a success! First, we want to thank all of you who purchased books, for being flexible and willing to try something new this year, and for supporting the Breakthrough summer literature program. Without you, there would be no Book Festival! We want to thank the parent volunteers, as they are key to helping our MPA community put on so many well-loved traditions. We want to thank Nancy Lage, as well as many teachers and administrators, for the time they spent brainstorming wonderful ways to engage our community in reading activities throughout the Book Festival. Finally, both Valley Book Seller and Usborne Books also send a big thank you to our community for supporting their small businesses during this hard time. We don’t know what next year will bring, but we will be excited to offer our Book Festival anytime, anywhere, anyway! Read More

Ashley Cooper Named 2020 Outstanding Cooperating Professional

May 28, 2020

Ashley Cooper, MPA Middle and Upper School Counselor, was recently awarded the UW-River Falls 2020 Outstanding Cooperating Professional! Over the past three years, MPA and UW-River Falls’ School Psychology Program have worked together to conduct depression and suicide screenings for our Middle and Upper School students.

The unique partnership allows MPA to deliver high-quality programming that reaches over 150 students each year while providing invaluable, real-life experience to graduate-level mental health practitioners. MPA is incredibly fortunate to collaborate with such a compassionate, knowledgeable, and professional group of people each year.

“Through our work together,” Ms. Cooper shares, “we have been able to highlight and strengthen our school culture in so many ways. I’m incredibly proud that there are dozens of UWRF graduates working at schools all over the state who know of and have a firsthand experience with Mounds Park Academy, and that MPA has gained a positive reputation in the community for how we are addressing student mental health.”

Con Law Class Presents Oral Arguments Virtually

May 27, 2020

This year was the 17th annual MPA Constitutional Law oral arguments! Each year the Con Law senior elective culminates with students presenting oral arguments before legal experts in an actual courtroom. They choose a federal case that has been appealed before the US Supreme Court, prepare extensive written briefs which are submitted a week in advance, then appear before a panel of three judges to make their case. Afterward, each judge gives the students feedback.

This year, however, the seniors took a page out of the MN Supreme Court’s playbook and held virtual oral arguments. The students were split up into breakout rooms on Zoom, and conducted their oral arguments in the same way they would if the event was taking place in person. When asked if they enjoyed themselves, one senior responded, “Yes, but I was still nervous, even over Zoom!”

The judges this year were made up of MPA alumni, parents, and MN Court of Appeals Judges. The day could not have happened without their time and support. We want to extend a special thank you to MN Court of Appeals Judges Judge Jeanne Cochran, Judge James Florey, Judge Kevin Ross, and Judge Jill Halbrooks. A big thank you also goes out to the MPA parents who took time out of their busy days as practicing attorneys to serve as judges for the seniors: Nan Etzwiler, Gail Engstrom, Kevin Rhodes, and Steve Quam. Thank you to the MPA alumni who returned to judge the oral arguments they themselves participated in years ago: Kethan Dahlberg ’14, Jenny Portis ’16, Warsame Galaydh ’06, Adam Pabarcus ’03, Sam Bolstad ’08, and Paul Shapiro ’05. Lastly, thank you to Maureen Conway, MPA founding faculty member and retired Upper School History teacher, who started this event 17 years ago, and who was able to return as a judge this year.

“Every year, I am amazed with what our seniors do with the preparation of their briefs and oral arguments,” shared Mike Vergin, Upper School history teacher, and who now teaches the Constitutional Law class. “They are considering cases actually being argued before the Supreme Court this session. One judge participating for the first time in a while commented that these students were every bit as skilled as those he works with in the moot courts at the law school at which he teaches. We literally have not seen each other since the day they found out which cases they’d be arguing. This is challenging enough in a typical year, but the Class of 2020 rose to the occasion and made it happen this year just as well.”

Making A Difference Through Art

May 27, 2020

Each MPA senior must complete a Senior Service Project where they submit a proposal, complete a minimum of 30 hours of service work, keep a record or journal of their experiences, and prepare an exhibit or presentation based their experiences. The project is an opportunity for them to use their voices, skills, and carry out a service project with an organization or for a cause they are passionate about.

MPA senior Zoe Hutton chose to create portraits for The Memory Project, which is a nonprofit organization that connects artists with children throughout the world. After completion, the children are sent their portraits. Zoe’s portraits will be sent to children in Venezuela. Visit www.memoryproject.org/venezuela to learn more and see a touching video about the project!

Congratulations to All-State Choir Members

May 27, 2020

Congratulations to Lilly Gasterland-Gustafsson, Ryan Ghose, and Caleb Rhodes who auditioned and were selected to be members of the Minnesota Music Educators Association All-State Choir program! Lilly will sing in the Soprano Alto Choir under the direction of celebrated composer Andrea Ramsey. Caleb is a member of the Mixed Choir conducted by Sandra Snow from Michigan State University while Ryan will sing with Tesfa Wondemagegnehu from St. Olaf College in the Tenor Bass Choir. Plans are being made for an All-State Choir experience in February 2021. Lilly, Ryan, and Caleb are all members of the MPA Concert Choir and Madrigal Singers.

Class of 2020: William Kim

May 26, 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 8th grade. Prior to attending MPA, I lived in Manitoba, Canada, and I remember the moment I entered the school and how I fell in love with the school’s vibe, facilities, and wonderful teachers. While no classes were in session as I came in June, I still felt as if MPA was the right place for me.

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

I ended up choosing the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Out of all the music schools that I applied to, I felt that Oberlin was the most similar to MPA. I feel that Oberlin is the perfect place for me because of their incredible opportunities to grow as a musician, while also offering strong academic programs within the college.

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

I’m excited to be living in a state that I have never lived in before, and to also experience the wide range of performing opportunities Oberlin offers. Life does not stop here, and I know that I am still maturing as a person. I’m curious to know what my life will be like during and after college!