All School Archives

Head’s Message: Our Community has Momentum

February 9, 2017

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

I am incredibly fortunate to be a member of the Mounds Park Academy community, both as a leader and as a parent. Each day, I have the privilege of working with an exceptional group of teachers and staff who care deeply about MPA’s students. Each day, I interact with hundreds of incredible young people who give me so much hope for the future of our country and world. I am fueled by that hope, even in the midst of uncertainty, and sometimes, despair.

This morning, hope came in the form of seven of our students. As they delivered their senior speeches, I was moved to tears on more than one occasion. Their reflections on their growth as individuals and the impact that MPA has had on their lives was inspiring. One student spoke of her love for science that resulted in her being teased and isolated at another school. At MPA, she discovered she could embrace her passion and find respect from her peers. I am confident the world will be a better place by what she will do with her life.

Our Legacy Society Story

February 9, 2017

In honor of MPA’s Legacy Society Awareness month, we are happy to share this story from Nan Etzwiler and Dan O’Neill …

Since our daughter, Laura, started at MPA in 2005 in its first PreK class, MPA has been joyful, enriching, and stimulating for her—and for us! From pillowcase poems to building 3-D digestive systems, from memorizing Chaucer to crafting a competitive speech, we are grateful to the incredibly skilled and caring faculty we have known in each division. As parents, we have also had the opportunity to volunteer at MPA in various capacities and have seen close-up how thoughtfully the mission of the school is borne out through curriculum, character-building, and extracurricular activities. MPA is a place that speaks to the both the ‘head’ and the ‘heart’ of everyone who passes through it.

In recognition of the rich mission of the school, and its strong leadership and staff, we have included MPA in our estate plans for three reasons. Most important, MPA has played a critical role and had a sustained presence in our lives for many years—and its impact on our family will continue for decades to come. Second, prioritizing our giving and including MPA in our estate planning have been ways for us to talk with our daughter about not only the importance of giving, but the joy of it. She has a growing appreciation for the fun and importance of leaving something behind for others.

Finally, through tax planning we have been able to maximize the impact of our gifts today and later. Working with MPA’s Development Office to denote MPA as an estate beneficiary was easy and quick. We hope one day that our legacy gift can help sustain MPA so that generations of students to come might thrive and soar just as our daughter has. We encourage you to reach out to MPA’s Development Office to consider including MPA in your legacy planning, too.

MPA First Graders use Design Thinking to Save Jack From the Giant

February 8, 2017

Students being creative. Thanks to the inventiveness of Mounds Park Academy first graders, fairy tale legend Jack survived his encounter with an infamous giant.

While most adaptations of Jack and the Beanstalk depict the main character’s successful descent from the castle in the clouds, the Jack featured recently in MPA’s Innovation Lab (iLab) faced an additional challenge: the giant chopped down the beanstalk leaving him stranded in the clouds! The students were tasked with creating a safe way for Jack to escape.

First, teacher Ms. O’Keefe encouraged the students to define the problem and empathize with how Jack must feel (the first two steps of design thinking). Then they developed creative solutions to reach the ground. With string, paper, pipe cleaners, rubber bands, cardboard and tape, the first graders created parachutes, planes, jet packs, and more. They constructed prototypes to test before releasing their air systems in the official rescue mission. Every Jack, effectively represented by a LEGO person, survived the descent from the cloud (also known as the Kreischer Gym balcony).

This cross-disciplinary iLab project brought together a literacy unit on fairy tales with a science unit on weather and air. Students worked in teams and followed the design thinking process—empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test—to create an air system that would save Jack.

According to O’Keefe, “Once the challenge was introduced, the students’ wheels immediately began turning. As they worked through each stage, the students showed increased motivation and were challenged to cooperate and persevere throughout the entire process.”

Important Safety Information

February 8, 2017

Dear MPA Families,

It is my responsibility to provide the safest campus environment possible for you and your children—this is my number one priority. I am writing with some important reminders as well as a new policy. Please share this information with all of the drivers in your home, in addition to others who may provide transportation for you. Thank you very much in advance for your cooperation and understanding.

No Left Turn between 3 and 3:30 PM

Starting Monday, February 13 at pick up, making a left-hand turn when coming from the west on Larpenteur into the Lower School drive-thru lane will not be allowed. There is often not room in the line for extra cars and the confusion that ensues is not safe. Please approach and enter the line from the east instead. Should you need to approach from the west, continue past the drive-thru entrance and safely turn around on Beebe Road to enter the line.

The only exceptions to this new policy will be for school buses and people who have purchased a parking space just past the crosswalk. Those four cars will be provided with mirror tags, which must be visible. Read More

The Importance of Creativity in the Technological Age

February 7, 2017

Middle School student playing violin On January 11 at MPA Talks, MPA parent and Director and Professor of the University of Minnesota School of Music, Dr. Michael Kim, presented “Creativity and the Fine and Liberal Arts in the 21st Century” to the Mounds Park Academy community. See below for a thoughtful Q&A with him, based on the same topic.

In schools today, there is a strong emphasis on STEM education. Why is it important to focus on STEAM instead, as Mounds Park Academy does?

Today in our schools and in our public discourse, we are increasingly focused on the importance of students developing skills in and experience with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics or STEM. Indeed, technology is now a major part of our society, and technological advancements have progressed rapidly.

Given the pace and pervasiveness of technology-driven changes, however, some of the most important skills for students to acquire are flexibility and adaptability. Our children will need to adjust to ever-changing times and possess qualities and skills that are the focus of a strong liberal arts education. So we really need to focus on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics), not just STEM, as is the case at MPA.

My family and I love the focus on creativity at MPA and that the school engages students in the visual and performing arts at every academic level. As an educator myself, I believe it’s not enough to just foster an appreciation for the arts. But rather to guide students in developing their own artistic skills and to provide opportunities for them to explore, create, and express their ideas through art, performance, and music.

Why is a liberal arts education so important in our technology-driven world?

We live in an age where computers and technology can complete critical functions better, faster, and cheaper in all areas of life. We even have robotic nurses that can help diagnose and treat patients. So how do we stay relevant in a world where even business magnate, engineer, and inventor Elon Musk calls artificial intelligence our biggest existential threat? I believe that is by focusing on creativity, empathy, and the qualities that define our humanity; qualities, skills, and insights developed through the liberal arts and integrating the arts wherever possible in a cross-disciplinary way, as they do at MPA.

Save the Date! Spring Auction: May 13

February 5, 2017

We hope you have received your Save the Date for this year’s Spring Auction—Your Dream Destination. The event will be on Saturday, May 13 at the Union Depot in Saint Paul. This is a wonderful chance to socialize, build community, and have fun—we hope you will be able to attend!

As we prepare for our only fundraising event of the year, we are in need of your help. There are three great ways to contribute:

BECOME A SPONSOR >
DONATE TO THE AUCTION >
ATTEND THE EVENT >

To become a sponsor or contribute and auction item, please contact LaTasha St. Arnault, Director of Development and Community Engagement, at 651-748-5532 or via email. Items may be dropped off in the Development/ Alumni Relations Office in Lower School. Thank you for your support!

MPA Student Quiz Bowl Player of the Week

February 2, 2017

press release courtesy of the National Academic Quiz Tournaments

Mounds Park Academy student Isak D. was selected as the National Academic Quiz Tournaments Middle School Player of the Week for the week of January 28, 2017. Isak was the highest scoring individual player at the recent GEMSTONE middle school tournament in Burnsville and helped his team to finish in first place! With a record of ten wins and no losses, Mounds Park qualified for the Middle School National Championship Tournament, to be held in Dallas in May.

Mounds Park Academy coach Wade Peterson said that it has “been a joy to coach him” and that Isak is a “very professional player for an eighth grader, [with] good poise and a genuine love for quiz bowl.”

Congratulations to Isak and good luck to him and his team at Nationals!

About Quiz Bowl
Quiz bowl is a competitive, academic, interscholastic activity for teams of four students. Quiz bowl teams use buzzers to answer questions about science, math, history, literature, mythology, geography, social science, current events, sports, and popular culture. The matches feature a blend of individual competition and team collaboration, since no individual player is likely to be an expert in all subject areas. Participation in quiz bowl both reinforces lessons from the classroom and encourages players to develop new intellectual interests.

About NAQT
National Academic Quiz Tournaments, founded in 1996, organizes the premier middle school, high school, and college quiz bowl championships in North America. In addition to its national championships, NAQT provides questions to invitational tournaments, league championships, and television shows throughout the year. NAQT operates out of the Twin Cities and Kansas City, but its members mentor coaches, host tournaments, volunteer their services, and share their expertise across the United States.

MPA Student Serving as Youth Ambassador for Open Wide Foundation

February 2, 2017

by Ryan Guggenheim ‘18

When I arrived at La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City last March to volunteer for Open Wide Foundation, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Given my interest in becoming a doctor, my passion for the Spanish language and Latin American culture, and my interest in community service, volunteering at Open Wide Foundation seemed like the perfect way to combine all of these interests and, most importantly, help the people of Guatemala.

Head’s Message: MPA’s Strengths Reconfirmed by Data

February 2, 2017

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

I asked a certain fifth grader what she liked best about MPA. Without missing a beat, she said, “The Head of School.” (I think she’s angling for an iPhone.) When I asked my daughter Ari again, she had a hard time deciding between her “caring teachers, the interesting classes she is taking, and her kind and curious classmates.”

With the exception of the Head of School comment, her responses are very similar to what I hear from parents, other students, and alumni every day. What I have come to know about MPA anecdotally, data has now reconfirmed. You may remember taking a survey before Winter Break administered by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS), our accreditation association. We received the results this month and they are outstanding. I’d like to share some of the data and a few of my observations. Know that you will hear more over the next 12 months as the data shapes and informs the self-study report we will write for re-accreditation. Read More

Equity and Inclusion at MPA

January 31, 2017

A statement from Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

Mounds Park Academy is enriched every single day by students and their families from around the world, some of them fleeing from violence and war. The recent executive order temporarily preventing citizens from certain countries to enter the United States represents a dramatic change in the way our nation interacts with many groups of people, both here and abroad, and has caused stress and feelings of uncertainty for these students, their families, the larger MPA community, and our world.

If you or a student you know is affected directly or indirectly by these changes, please let a division director or me know immediately so that we may extend additional support. We have implemented additional age-appropriate support already.

I would like to reiterate that our school’s mission and values place the utmost importance on equity and inclusion—it is central to who we are as a community. MPA stands together with other schools as we reaffirm the right to a physically and emotionally safe learning environment for all students, regardless of race, color, national origin, immigration status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or religion. This is not a matter of politics. It is a fundamental issue of equity and inclusion.

As we have since 1982, MPA faculty and staff will continue to work exceptionally hard to ensure that every child here knows he or she is loved, valued, and respected and that this environment is free from fear, violence, and intimidation.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.