All School

February 20, 2017

Neelu Boddipalli and her husband Rama never thought they’d consider private schools for their sons Dilan and Kelvyn. Neelu grew up in the Twin Cities and appreciated her public school education in South Washington County; Rama attended public schools in the western suburbs of Chicago. When the couple built a house in a Saint Paul suburb, they assumed their children would attend public school.

“Private school was never on the radar,” said Neelu. “But several factors collided, which prompted us to consider alternative options.”

Like many parents, the Boddipallis first connected with the local school district when their oldest son, Kelvyn, was about to enter kindergarten. Similar to many rapidly expanding suburbs, their school district was examining how best to manage capacity. The couple attended the district’s facility planning meetings to better understand the rezoning process. The Boddipallis found themselves at odds with the district’s plans.

At the same time, their then-preschool son was experiencing racism and bullying at an area Montessori school, and it was eroding Kelvyn’s confidence.

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February 15, 2017

In honor of MPA’s Legacy Society Awareness month, we are happy to share this story from Jamie and Cindy Gardner, MPA Legacy Society Members since 2011 …

One of Mounds Park Academy’s hallmarks is the concept of educating the “whole child.” The fact that fine arts, athletics, and academics are not only available, but equally emphasized across all grade levels was certainly the reason we came here.

Now, 15 years later, we believe the most striking thing about MPA is the school’s ability to positively educate the “whole family.” MPA is a school where all three of our children, despite vast learning differences as well as interests, thrived learning some of the most basic but important life lessons in self-worth and confidence.

We feel blessed that our children have been able to gain so much and that is why we have joined MPA’s Legacy society. It really was as simple as adding a beneficiary to our life insurance policy—what a great way to insure Mounds Park Academy is able to continue shaping lives for generations to come.

February 15, 2017

February 15, 2017

A simple way to make a planned (deferred) gift to benefit MPA is by designating the school as a beneficiary of all or a portion of your IRA or other qualified retirement plan or life insurance policy. You simply request a beneficiary designation form from your retirement plan provider or life insurance company, complete and return the form to them, and the future gift is put in place. You may also designate MPA as the beneficiary of your stock portfolio by requesting and completing a TOD (Transfer on Death) form from your broker. An even simpler way is to visit your bank and designate MPA a beneficiary of your checking or savings account by completing a POD (Payable on Death) form. In each of these methods, MPA can be designated as the beneficiary of a fixed amount, a percentage, or the remainder of your assets. Read More

February 15, 2017

What are Planned Gifts?

Planned gifts, sometimes called “deferred gifts,” are charitable gift commitments made today but from which MPA does not benefit until a future date. Planned gifts may be made from a donor’s estate at death or may be established now with the transfer of assets. This creates a gift that provides an income stream to the donor with the remainder passing to MPA at the donor’s death. Gifts from estates can preserve lifetime flexibility (allow you to retain use of the assets and make changes during life), reduce your taxable estate, and help you to achieve a charitable purpose perhaps not possible during your lifetime. Life-income planned gifts, such as charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts, may also produce immediate income tax benefits. Read More