July 17, 2023
What position will you be holding at MPA?
Upper School English Teacher
From what school/organization are you coming?
Visitation School
Tell us about your education and past experience.
Before becoming a teacher, I worked in the front offices of two businesses. I was a freelance graphic designer and web programmer. I even co-founded a tech startup right out of college. I also lived in five states as an adult before I turned 30 (Missouri, Louisiana, Washington, New York, and finally Minnesota). That said, I was probably 15 years old when I realized I wanted to teach high school English. So all my degrees are in literature. I have a BA in English from Loyola University New Orleans; an MA in English from Western Washington University; and an MA in Medieval Studies from Cornell University.
What did you find appealing about MPA?
Mounds Park Academy has a special place in the landscape of independent schools in the metro area. Teenagers I’d taught elsewhere described MPA as a place where students could have healthy balance, a school known for rigor, but also for fostering relationship. Coming in as a new faculty member, it seems like a place where you not only receive a great education, but where your whole, unique, individual self is welcomed and celebrated, and where your personal journey is supported.
What lasting impact do you plan to have on MPA?
I hope I can be an important force in my students’ lives. To help them grow in the subject I teach. But even more so, to be an adult who sees them, not just as the people they are, but the people they aspire to be.
What’s your big dream?
To find peace and to share it with others.
What are you (and your family, if you so choose) passionate about?
It’ll be no surprise to hear I’m passionate about education, especially about evolving what “English” class looks and feels like. Mindfulness plays a large role in my approach to teaching and to what we do each day in the classroom. My family and I are passionate about environmental education and grassroots political involvement.
What’s a fun fact about you that our community would love to know?
In graduate school, I studied three languages besides English.
What position will you be holding at MPA?
What position will you be holding at MPA?
When the time came, Tammy took great care to find a school for Jaye and Jordan, interviewing more than 12 and selecting Four Seasons A+ Elementary. “We knew we wanted private schools. I was always in private schools. But I couldn’t afford MPA at the time,” she shares. The twins thrived in elementary school, often serving as the leads in the annual plays. They were excellent performers. They came to MPA in Middle School—Tammy took a second job, the twins received a scholarship, and they got here. “I wanted them to have opportunities.” 
This message is from MPA’s Office of Admission from the July 2023 issue of InsideMPA. 
What position will you be holding at MPA? 
Congratulations to all of the Panther athletes who competed in the Minnesota State High School League State Tournaments in tennis and track and field last week!
At the State track and field meet, Zoe Mulvihill placed 16th in the preliminary race of the 400M dash, running 1:04.19. The MPA 4x200M team of Zoe Mulvihill, Nora Pederson, Delaney Cunnington and Kensi Binstadt placed 10th in the preliminary race, running 1:48.33. Griffin Jones placed 12th in the preliminary race of the 400M dash, running 52.14. Nicholas Larson placed 10th in the 1600M, running 4:27.17. Eddie Snider placed eighth in the 3200M, running 9:47.44.
Eighth grade students in Mr. Milam’s class showcased their talent for STEM through challenging yet fulfilling independent research projects. Students were empowered to select any STEM-related topic and dedicate approximately 15 hours to focused research. These Middle School scientists were also required to connect and communicate with an expert in their chosen field, allowing students to glean profound insights and information about their topic from another person. Josephine M. explained, “I studied preservation in archaeology for four weeks. I learned about some of the most famous artifacts and places ever found, like King Tutankhamun’s tomb and the Dead Sea Scrolls. These historic artifacts greatly impacted our knowledge of what happened thousands of years ago, and they all have extremely interesting preservation stories. In my display, you may also learn about the expert I contacted who gave me information about her job in Zimbabwe.”
from Bill Hudson, head of school
from Ann Jurewicz, Lower School director