All School

September 3, 2015

Summer is a great time to catch up on my reading. I was fortunate to be able to squeeze in enough time to read six books while either lounging on the pontoon or while traveling. One of the books I read was a biography of Woodrow Wilson by A. Scott Berg. Many would overlook Wilson in compiling a list of our greatest presidents, but I would have him at the top of mine.

Leadership is hard to define, but Woodrow Wilson made it pretty simple by linking it with a life’s purpose: “You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”

At MPA, we understand leadership in such broad terms in our commitment to character development. Woven throughout the curriculum and embedded in co-curricular opportunities, character development, including leadership development, is cultivated through collaborative tasks and perspective taking, creating an environment where students are respected, valued, and heard.

In the past week, students across divisions and grade levels have participated in several opportunities for leadership development. In Upper School, Peer Leaders spent a day with Dr. Maggie Harris, Adjunct Professor of Leadership at the University of Minnesota, learning about themselves through the Strength Finders assessment, learning how to serve others by exploring the concept of servant leadership, and then applying both with design thinking.

Team captains in our athletic program spent time with their peers in other schools belonging to the Independent Metro Athletic Conference (IMAC). Over 20 MPA juniors and seniors participated in this IMAC leadership seminar and attended sessions on social media, leadership, coach and player relationships, and team culture.

This year we will introduce a new leadership development curriculum in Middle School called Mindset Matters. The program is designed to build positive culture change through character education and development. The overarching goal is to “help EACH student reach his or her potential to be a great leader through flexible and fun teaching materials, real-world application and daily practice that will impact the rest of their lives.”

In Lower School, our new fourth graders have accepted the mantle of conflict managers among their peers in the lower school. Students received training last spring and again this past week on how to peacefully resolve conflict. Senior Jenny Portis, Student Government President, worked with fourth graders to understand their responsibility to serve as role models and to actively practice peaceful conflict resolution.

In addition to an excellent academic preparation, success in today’s 21st century global society will depend on a number of skills and competencies. Leadership is one such competency that MPA uniquely enables students to discover, and then nurtures all the way throughout our curriculum and programs.

August 27, 2015

I love airports. Not fighting the crowds, lugging suitcases, standing in line, or going through security, but the baggage area. I like to sit and observe the anticipation of people as they scan the crowd, looking for their friends and loved ones. To witness the transformation of a person’s face as they catch sight of their loved one from a distance or to see the dawn of the joy and excitement as they reach out to them after an extended absence is amazing.

It looked a lot like an airport baggage claim area on Wednesday morning here at Mounds Park Academy. It was inspiring to see how kids greeted other kids, parents greeting teachers and one another, and students running up to their teachers with big smiles on their faces. Several teachers remarked that they had spent as much time with their former students as they did meeting with their new students.

It won’t be long before we get down to business and some of the excitement wanes. However, one thing is very clear—the joy of learning never wears off at MPA. Students at Mounds Park Academy enjoy an academically rigorous education and are challenged intellectually, but not at the expense of their social, emotional, and physical growth. If there is any magic at MPA, it is the unique ability of the school to ensure that each child is is known, loved, challenged, and inspired.

I look forward to the year ahead and am confident it will truly be transformational for us all. Thank you for entrusting your children to Mounds Park Academy.

-Dr. Bill Hudson
Head of School

August 25, 2015

Welcome home to Mounds Park Academy! Many students and parents, and even a few teachers, have admitted to me that MPA feels more like a home than a school. I couldn’t agree more. Considering the amount of time we all spend within these walls, it’s probably true. However, MPA is like a home for more reasons than just time spent, it is because of the strong sense of community and belonging we all enjoy.

Home is more than a place; it is a feeling. It is a feeling of love and acceptance, where one feels comfortable being who they are. At Mounds Park Academy, we teach the whole child and are committed to the social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth of our students. Our exceptional teachers and staff are dedicated to creating a safe learning environment in which our students gain confidence in themselves and the knowledge necessary to succeed in life.

Clearly, families are a child’s first, primary, and continuous teachers. Yet school as home is a powerful image, for it also speaks to the close partnership we as educators enjoy with parents and guardians. Authentic, respectful dialogue and collaboration between home and school is a hallmark of MPA. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, feedback or suggestions. I am committed to ensuring you are both engaged and informed.

We have a fantastic year ahead of us and I cannot wait to get started. There’s no place like home!