MPA Students Receive Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards

Rising FlameThe 2020 Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards have been announced, and we have a number of Upper School artists to congratulate this year! Collectively, the students received several ceramics, drawing, painting, and mixed media awards. View the pieces here.

  • Amelia Dickson, “Symmetry,” Drawing, Honorable Mention
  • Amelia Dickson, “Kitchen Mixer,” Drawing, Honorable Mention
  • Anna Gaudio, “Young Self,” Drawing, Silver Key
  • Charles Grimes, “Organic Forms,” Ceramics Portfolio, Honorable Mention
  • Charles Grimes, “Cups and Saucers,” Ceramics, Gold Key
  • Charles Grimes, “Sliced Garlic,” Ceramics, Honorable Mention
  • Charles Grimes, “Harvest Gathering,” Ceramics, Silver Key
  • Charles Grimes, “Self-Portrait,” Drawing, Silver Key
  • Ani Helgeson, “Toddler Self,” Drawing, Honorable Mention
  • Ella Jones, “Boycott,” Mixed Media, Honorable Mention
  • Ella Jones, “Pollution,” Drawing, Gold Key
  • Graham Li, “Air of Literature,” Mixed Media, Honorable Mention
  • Graham Li, “Joyful,” Drawing, Gold Key
  • Graham Li, “Rising Flame,” Painting, Silver Key
  • Cloris Lin, “Mixed Media Still Life, Mixed Media, Honorable Mention
  • Sehar Mapara, “I am a Truck Driver,” Painting, Honorable Mention
  • Emmet Tanzer-Tragatsch, “Minute to Win It!” Ceramics, Honorable Mention
  • TC Yang, “Mixed Media Still Life, Mixed Media, Honorable Mention
  • TC Yang, “Honey Comb,” Ceramics, Gold Key Read More


Pajamarama Is One Week Away!

upper and lower schools students hug at pajamaramaOnly one more week until it’s time to wear your pajamas or comfy clothes and join us for Pajamarama 2020 on Thursday, January 30! This year at MPA, Lower School students will enjoy a short concert of their favorite Disney music, meet our musicians, and enjoy story telling in a new and imaginative way. Following the Disney performance, the children are led in interactive activities designed to spark excitement and curiosity about music. To finalize our program we will have a reading of a popular children’s book performed by a narrator while being accompanied by the MPA Upper School Orchestra. Students will receive a snack while they cozy up to hear this famous story come to life!


Purchase Your Spring Auction Golden Ticket!

mpa spring auction 2019 guestsIntroducing a brand new opportunity for you to support MPA and potentially win one of nine incredible Live Auction items, each worth thousands of dollars at this year’s 2020 MPA Spring Auction: Light up the Night! 100 Golden Ticket raffle tickets will be sold for $150 each, with the winning ticket holder picking the Live Auction item of their choice. These Golden Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis and will go on sale February 1. You may purchase up to five Golden Tickets for your family, and additional tickets as gifts for loved ones or MPA faculty and staff. Live auction items include:

  • US Open Premium Seating
  • Dinner with Bill Hudson, Head of School
  • 7 Night Stay in Paris at Rue Du Four
  • Find Adventure in Montana Cabin Stay
  • Xcel Energy Center Box Seats to Jingle Ball 2020 Concert with Multiple Headliners
  • Explore Donegal, Ireland the Coolest Place on Earth
  • St. Thomas Fun Under the Sun
  • Colorado Escape over MEA
  • Evening of Wine with the Piedmont Guy

Read More


Join Us For Open Gym At MPA

girls basketball in the lansing centerThe Lansing Sports Center will once again be open most Saturday mornings this winter for MPA families and their friends. If you know a family who might be interested in learning more about our school, this would be a great opportunity to welcome them to campus!

Saturday, January 25, 9 AM-12 PM
Saturday, February 1, 9 AM-12 PM
Saturday, February 8, 9 AM-12 PM
Saturday, February 15, 9 AM-12 PM

You are welcome to come and use the track, sports center and fitness center. If you have any questions, please contact the Athletic Office at 651-748-5630.


Invite A Friend To The MPA Preview This Sunday

students working on a robotThe MPA Preview is this Sunday, and we would love to have your friends and neighbors on campus with us! Please extend our invitation for the MPA Preview on Sunday, January 26 at 2 PM. Visitors will see what’s possible when students are inspired to dream big and do right at MPA! This event will allow families to truly experience the joy of learning that our students do each day by rotating among hands-on, experiential lessons taught by expert faculty. Between lessons, they will join student and parent ambassadors for an opportunity to see our state-of-the-art facilities.

Please have them RSVP here!


Join Us For MPA Maker Fest 2020!

students and maker at maker fest 2019Join us for MPA Maker Fest 2020 on February 22 from 1-3 PM in the AnnMarieThomas Makerspace and Family Commons, where you can either host your own table or come as a spectator! Maker Fest is free is open to everyone–students, parents, grandparents, alumni, parents of alumni, faculty, staff, friends, family, and more!

You can sign up here to share your Maker talents, either individually or with a group to have your very own display table at MPA Maker Fest. This is the perfect opportunity to “show and tell” something that you have created and share your accomplishments with the community. We can’t wait to see your creations!

Contact Nicole Koen at nkoen@moundsparkacademy.org with any questions.


MPA At The Future Cities State Competition

the MPA team at the future cities state competitionCongratulations, Middle School Panthers, for placing fifth at the Future Cities State Competition and earning Honorable Mention! They also took home the following awards: Best Model, Safe Drinking Water Award, Most Environmentally Friendly Powersource, and Rookie of the Year.

Future City starts with a question—how can we make the world a better place? Middle school students imagine, research, design, and build cities of the future that showcase their solution to a citywide sustainability issue. Way to go, Panthers!


Meet Juliana Wu ’19

Juliana wu visiting campus What do you love about MPA?
I love the inclusive environment MPA offers to each and every student that goes there.

How were you encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA?
I started to play cello right after submitting my college application during my senior year. Now, it has become one of my favorite ways to get away from the heavy workload at Carnegie Mellon and a great hobby of my life in general. Thinking back, it is still a bold and somewhat “reckless” decision that I made to begin a new instrument at the end of high school, but without the encouragement of MPA, I wouldn’t have made that decision and I would have missed out on a lot of the fun I have playing cello. Read More


January 17 Afterschool Activities Cancelled

Due to the weather, all afterschool activities including games, practices, and meetings are cancelled this afternoon, Friday, January 17. School will remain in session until our regular dismissal time at 3 PM.

All buses will run as usual unless you hear from your division director directly.

Panther Club and Panther Den will remain open until all children are picked up; however, families are encouraged to arrive as quickly as possible after 3 PM.

Please stay safe and warm and enjoy the beauty of the snow!


Early Education That Merges Learning And Joy

PreK student arriving at schoolThree-year-old children are amazing sponges. They absorb everything around them, learning intuitively and actively. As toddlers approach the start of Pre-Kindergarten, it’s a unique and important time to match children with high value educational programs that will meet a broad range of developmental needs, while setting the stage for future success in school.

In Suzanne Bouffard’s book “The Most Important Year,” she discusses best practices for the earliest years of school. During an interview with National Public Radio, she explains that successful PreK programs “have hands-on experiences and opportunities for children to learn about things that apply to their lives. Good teachers always engage children in rich conversations and ask them open-ended questions.” Bouffard emphasizes that “another really important piece of a good program is that it focuses on things like self-control and behavior in the class, how to wait your turn, how to share, how to deal with frustration, and how to solve conflicts. Those are skills kids are just beginning to develop at three, four, and five years old.”

Bouffard outlines that classroom activities should be interdisciplinary, celebrating a young student’s dynamic nature while providing goal-oriented learning opportunities. “The research says very clearly that children learn through play and this notion that you have to choose between play and academic learning is a false dichotomy,” she says. “One study showed that you can give children building blocks and let them build whatever they want. Or you can give children building blocks with a goal—to build a landing pad for a helicopter, for example. In both cases, everybody ends up having fun and learning something, but the kids who had a goal actually used richer vocabulary, especially around spatial skills and building concepts.” Read More