All School Archives

Message from Alumni Board Member and MPA Third Grade Teacher, Annie Stewart ‘11

September 19, 2023

As an educator in Minnesota, the month of September brings many transitions—the end of the State Fair and, therefore, summer vacation, begrudgingly getting back into a school sleep schedule, cooler temperatures, and the joys of planning for a new year, and a new set of students. This September was no different, except that I would be officially teaching at MPA. If you had asked me when I graduated twelve years ago if I could see myself teaching, let alone teaching at the academy, I would have scoffed and said, “There is NO WAY I’m doing what my parents do!” Funny how life works out, right? Starting a new school year is always nerve-wracking no matter how long you’ve been teaching, “Are the kids going to like me? Have I done enough lesson planning? What if they hate the room? What if I mess up?” What I’m grateful for during this season of transition is how easy it was for me to handle those nerves, knowing I’d be coming back home. Regardless of your experience at MPA, there is something inherently special about walking the halls of your alma mater. What struck me as I dragged box after box of classroom decorations and school supplies down the Lower School hallway was, “Okay! I guess I’m really doing this… and thank goodness I get to be doing it here.” After spending four years teaching in public schools, I felt a literal weight taken off my shoulders when I walked through my classroom door. I knew that no matter what this school year would bring, I would be supported, cared for, and cheered on by everyone in the building.

As you all go through your own transitions this fall, don’t forget about all of the happenings going on back on campus. Homecoming is right around the corner on September 29 and 30 with the inaugural Hall of Fame induction dinner for outstanding Panther athletics, an all-alumni social gathering, the class of 1994 reunion, and lots of opportunities for you to cheer on Panther sports. You’ll find me cheering on the girls volleyball team! The fall is a great time to reconnect with MPA, and I hope to see many of you on campus, whether you’re here for Homecoming or just for a tour. If you want to see me in action, come down to room #113 and hang out with some awesome 3rd graders!

Discover Something Remarkable

September 19, 2023

Discover something remarkable at the PreK-12 MPA Preview on Sunday, November 5, 2-4 PM–our largest PreK-12 admission event of the year!

MPA Previews are signature PreK-12 events designed to introduce you to the faculty, students, and families who make MPA the exceptional learning community that it is. These events are for family members of all ages to attend together and will include division-specific time.

You’ll hear from a variety of perspectives, be engaged in conversation with academic leaders, experience mini-lessons taught by expert teachers, and leave with a much better understanding of the MPA way.

For families exploring ninth grade at MPA, we have a special pre-event immediately before the November 5 MPA Preview. The Taste of Ninth Grade is a lunch event for specifically for prospective ninth graders and their families. This event is your opportunity to learn more about MPA’s ninth grade program specifically. Students will engage in an activity to help them determine their school search priorities, while parents participate in an Upper School Leadership Q&A and hear from MPA’s school psychologist about parenting through the Upper School years.

RSVP today to experience the joy and discover why Mounds Park Academy is an exceptional place to learn and grow.

New Student Application is Opening!

September 14, 2023

MPA is delighted to announce that the admission application for new students to join us in the fall of 2024 will open on Friday, September 15!

If you, as a current family, would like to add any additional siblings to the MPA community who are not already here, please get started on the application process just as soon as possible. Space will be very limited in many grade levels. As a small token of our appreciation for your early application, current families are invited to use a $75 application fee waiver code 1982 for new student applications submitted prior to October 15. The deadline to complete the application process will be February 15, 2024.

If you have any questions, please contact the admission team at admission@moundsparkacademy.org and we’ll be happy to help!

Homecoming 2023: Wild With Panther Pride

September 14, 2023

Homecoming is quickly approaching with festivities planned for September 26-30! We have several ways for you and your student to get involved in this year’s slate of events.

Sign up to volunteer on Friday at Middle School homecoming games or on Saturday throughout the day.
Sign up your Lower School student for one or multiple athletic camps on Saturday.
- Soccer Clinic with Mr. Sheehan, 8-8:45 AM
- Track Clinic with Mr. Pettipiece, 8:45-9:30 AM
- Climbing Wall Lessons with Mr. Ryther, 10:30-11 AM or 1:30-2 PM
- Volleyball Clinic with Ms. Kunze, 1:45-2:15 PM
Cheer on MPA athletes at football, soccer, tennis, volleyball games on Friday and Saturday.
Encourage your student to wear spirit wear based on their division, including their free Homecoming t-shirts on Friday across all divisions!

View the full schedule here.

For questions, contact Jennifer Rogers-Petitt, director of development and community engagement at jrogers@moundsparkacademy.org or Dan Haase, athletic director at dhaase@moundsparkacademy.org.

PreK-8 Grandparents & Special Friends Day

September 14, 2023

We are excited to host our annual celebration of Lower School and Middle School students and their special guests on Wednesday, October 18.

Grandparents and special friends can join their Lower School students in the morning for classroom visits, Middle School students in the afternoon for classroom visits and Bingo, plus enjoy a special joint music performance!

RSVP is required for all guests by Friday, October 13. Parents are welcome to join the full day program or for the music performance at 11 AM. Please note: October 18 is a full school day, a change from an early release date in prior years. If you wish your Lower School student be released at 11:30 AM with their grandparent or special friend, please contact the division office.

RSVP here.

Read more details here.

Everything That Is Good

September 14, 2023

from Bill Hudson, head of school

“Everything that is good in this country, everything that is worthy in this country, everything that is beautiful in this country, begins with a teacher.”
—Kurt Russell, 2022 National Teacher of the Year.

My heart was full Friday afternoon as I looked across the south lawn during our annual Ice Cream Social. Actually, it was bursting, and I likened it to what happened to the heart of the Grinch at the end of the “Grinch Who Stole Christmas”! It was our largest social ever, and seeing students playing with one another and parents and teachers talking with each other on a beautiful late summer afternoon was exceptionally heartwarming. The school year is off to a fantastic start, one of the best in my 11 years at MPA.

This past week, I made the rounds of Lower School classrooms to welcome new students and reconnect with returning students. My visits also allowed me to witness our amazing teachers in action. Watching them is like watching an orchestra conductor who seemingly effortlessly moves from one movement to another while keeping each musician playing in concert with the other. Considering the ages of Lower School students, that is quite an accomplishment! MPA is indeed fortunate to have highly qualified, experienced, and skilled teachers who are also very kind and caring people.

At my nephew’s wedding last May, I caught up with a childhood friend of my nephew’s, a middle school teacher in a suburban school district outside of Charlotte, NC. When I asked him how things were going for him, he casually said he “did a favor for the school” by teaching a class with 70 students because the school district could not find enough qualified teachers. The class is so large that it is held in the cafeteria, and while he has a teaching assistant, the TA spends most of his time dealing with student behavior. Read More

Parents Association News & Events September 14, 2023

September 14, 2023

Faculty and Staff Appreciation
Tuesday, October 10-Friday, October 13
The school year is getting into high gear and the first round of parent/teacher conferences is coming up. The Parents Association and MPA parents and families are continuing the tradition of donating snacks and treats to help our staff get through conferences and to show our appreciation to all MPA employees. Please consider donating a beverage or snack for Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week. Remember to adhere to MPA Peanut/Tree Nut Policy when choosing snacks. Suggestions can be found on Sign Up Genius. Thank you from the MPA Parents Association! (Contact Tara Lafferty tmattrn@aol.com for questions). Sign up here.

Volunteer for Homecoming!
Friday, September 29-Saturday, September 30
MPA is looking for help during Homecoming Week. Whether you’re a new kindergarten family or a seasoned Upper School parent, the Parents Association invites you to help our school this Homecoming. MPA needs parents and students to help run the concession stand during Middle School and Upper School athletic events. We’re also in need of help to register students at Lower School workshops, help students on the rock climbing wall, don the Panther mascot costume, paint faces, and more. Upper School students can earn volunteer hours by participating. Middle School and Lower School students are welcome to work in the concession stand with parent supervision. Check it out here. Read More

Joe Kordosky, 2023 Hall of Fame Inductee

September 8, 2023

Launched earlier this year as a way to celebrate MPA’s rich athletic tradition, MPA is proud to announce the 2023 Hall of Fame inductees: Joe Kordosky, athletic director and coach, Bev Docherty, teacher and coach, Mason Ferlic ’11, alum athlete, and Caitlin Lock Coomes ’01, alum athlete. Please take a moment to read thoughts from Joe (Kordo) Kordosky below!

What was your greatest accomplishment in your 28 years as an athletic director and coach at MPA?
My greatest accomplishment was the establishment and development of MPA’s Athletic Program. In 1992-93, MPA was accepted into the Tri-Valley Athletic Conference. This enabled MPA athletes to compete for Conference titles and also earn much-deserved All-Conference recognition. The first MPA team to win a Conference Championship was the 1994 Girls Track Team coached by Bev Docherty.

What is your happiest memory of your time at MPA?
I have so many great memories. The one that made me the proudest was in 2002 when MPA sent both boys’ and girls’ soccer teams to the State Tournament. This created tremendous excitement and school spirit throughout the entire MPA community.

What impact do you hope you had on others at MPA?
I hope my enthusiasm and belief that the MPA Athletic Program could be competitive and successful would encourage others to support the athletes and the program.

Who at MPA had the greatest influence on you?
The school’s founder, Bob Kreischer. He instilled in me the importance of always creating the best student opportunities and programs.

How would your fellow students or staffers describe you?
Kordo was approachable, with a great sense of humor. He thoroughly enjoyed the numerous student interactions throughout each day. He had an open-door policy and was always working to improve the athletics experience at MPA.

Bev Docherty, 2023 Hall of Fame Inductee

September 8, 2023

What was your greatest accomplishment in your 35 years of teaching and coaching at MPA?
Developing a consistently strong, enjoyable, competitive track and field team was the goal I was trying to accomplish throughout my time at MPA. The MPA track and field records are outstanding in every event and are a testament to the program’s quality. Taking an entire bus full of State Qualifiers to practice at the venue before the big meet in 2019 was such a memorable accomplishment. We qualified for three relays and several individual events on the girls’ and boys’ teams: sprints, distance, and field events. We came away from State that year with six All-State performers!

What is your happiest memory of your time at MPA?
So many happy memories from so many decades! Coaching the first MPA State Champion (Lauren LaRoche-400m), the first Girls Conference Championship as a team (Tri-Valley Conference by 1/2 point, highlighted by four women coaches), the first boys State Champion—then in multiple events (Mason Ferlic-1600m, 3200m), our first Relay State Champion (4 x 800m; Kethan Dahlberg, Nick Gardner, Nolan Ferlic, Evan Ferlic), our first Field Event State Champion (Yahya Madar-High Jump, tied State Record) were all awesome memories. But hosting the co-ed relays on the new Schilling Track, working with student-athletes and families who supported track and field throughout our journey with celebrations, and surviving long, cold meets with smiles are also happy memories. Watching so many student-athletes reach their goals at every level, in every event, is probably the most rewarding.

How did your time at MPA shape your future?
Our home life revolved around MPA track and field in the spring. Schedules were set with my husband and family making adjustments to support me in my love of coaching track and field. It seemed to work out all right as all four of our children went on to compete in track and field in college, shaping their lives as well. Also, when I coached cross country, members of the team babysat for our children, providing me with a night out with my husband—not at a track!

What is one piece of advice that you would share with MPA athletes?
I’ve always encouraged my athletes to “trust your training.” I think this could speak to all of their endeavors as they trust their well-rounded MPA education. The education gained from needing resilience, hard work, and leadership on the track and in their classroom prepared them for reaching their goals. MPA athletes have had experience/practice with meeting challenges and finding success. I hope they trust that experience as they take on new goals.

What impact do you hope you had on others at MPA?
I hope I helped the MPA community understand and support athletics as a valuable part of each student-athlete’s total education.

Caitlin Lock Coomes ’01, 2023 Hall of Fame Inductee

September 8, 2023

What is your happiest memory of 13 years at MPA?
Sitting on the steps outside the Upper School, putting on shin guards and cleats with my friends and teammates before soccer practice on fall afternoons. Or maybe the anticipation of preseason practices, the excitement of being back together again? Or Back To School Night when we got to meet our new teachers each year. Sitting on the carpet as Ms. Lage read pictures books to us in the library. Pie at Baker’s Square after choir concerts. The Heritage Fair in the cafeteria. Too many happy memories to choose just one!

How did your time at MPA shape your future?
The most important things I got out of my time at MPA were enthusiasm for learning and school, and the deep-rooted sense of self that continues to guide me. The supportive, positive environment MPA provided during those early years created a stable foundation for everything that came after.

In what ways did the school support you during your time at MPA?
I remember how good it felt to have teachers congratulate me after the soccer team had a good game, or after a track meet went well—to know that these adults really cared. The school was also supportive and flexible about our family living in rural Chile for three months during my sophomore year. My teachers adapted their curriculums to help me make the most of that unique life experience.

Who at MPA had the greatest influence on you?
I can’t say enough about the positive impact of the soccer and track coaches, Mike Scinto, Al Greimel, and Bev Docherty. Their encouragement and confidence in me allowed me to be myself and grow in the most joyful way possible. I can only hope that my own kids find coaches/human beings of the same caliber to nurture them in the same way. In fact, I can say the same thing about every single one of my teachers and coaches at MPA.

What is something about you or your time at MPA that few people know?
The morning of my first day of kindergarten, I woke up at 3 AM, put on my uniform and my backpack, and woke my parents up to let them know I was ready to go to school.