January 28, 2021
Save the date! The 2021 Spring Auction: The Best Is Yet To Come is going virtual! The MPA volunteer planning committee is pleased to share sponsorship packages are now available with amazing perks, at-home meal kits, and great ways to get involved and give back to the school you love. Save the date for April 16 and visit moundsparkacademy.org/springauction to learn more, purchase a sponsorship package today, or donate an auction item from our wish list!
Expect student performances, hear from Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School, and other MPA community members, and bid on and win some amazing silent and live auction items. Proceeds support MPA’s educational programs, new curricular initiatives, COVID-19 response expenses, athletics programs, the arts, and so much more.
Questions? Contact Jennifer Rogers-Petitt, director of development and community engagement at jrogers@moundsparkacademy.org.
Save the date for MPA’s Virtual Maker Fest! On Saturday, February 20 from 11 AM-1 PM, MPA will host a variety of community makers to showcase their projects, passions, and hands on how-to demonstrations through Zoom. Participants will be able to the presentations by visiting different breakout rooms. More event details for Virtual Maker Fest 2021 will be coming soon! 
The Alumni Association Board is seeking members for its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion subcommittee! Led by the Board’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion officer Sidney Carlson White ’17, this subcommittee, which meets every other month, is for alumni looking to impact and guide antiracism efforts undertaken by both the Alumni Association Board and the broader MPA community.
MPA’s Legacy Society Committee welcomes you to join MPA alumnus Ty Johnston ’04 for a special presentation on wealth management and creative giving vehicles to benefit important causes you care about. You will learn and gain perspective on tax implications, practical steps you can take, and a variety of giving vehicles you may benefit from. Save the date for January 27, 2021 to join us at 4 PM.
The MPA Mentorship Program entered its third year with MPA Alumni being paired with a member of the senior class. The MPA Alums and seniors exchange three emails throughout the months of November and December. A survey was sent to both the seniors and alums to determine what their interests, career goals, college choice, etc. Work then began to recruit mentors who matched with the interests of our seniors. The program is proving to be successful and gain traction as for the second year in a row we had more alumni interested than seniors enrolled. Engagement continued to be at a high level and many connections were made that will continue far beyond the seniors’ last year at MPA.
MPA’s Legacy Society Committee
by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School
How many seven year old kids can say they play in a band? First grader Eloise can! Through School of Rock in St. Paul, Eloise plays the keyboard, performing hits with her band like “Great DJ” by the Ting Tings and Janelle Monae’s “Dance Apocalyptic”. “I like working with a group to make music and getting to know new people and I like my teachers,” says Eloise. “They make playing music together fun! I really like learning new songs and chords. I like to find notes on the keyboard that match the song and rhythm.”
Reconnect with former classmates
Thirty-nine years ago this week, 13 people from throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul gathered with Bob and Lois (now Sandy Kreischer Smith) Kreischer to articulate their shared dream of founding an independent school in the east metro of St. Paul. In his introduction that evening, Bob said, “We are aware that this could be the start of something big and equally aware that this could totally end in a month or so.” At the end of the meeting, a vote was taken to officially establish Mounds Park Academy. The Articles of Incorporation were filed on December 11 with the State of Minnesota designating Mounds Park Academy as an educational nonprofit on December 14, 1981.