Logan Erickson ’15 Inspires Student Entrepreneurs

Logan Erickson '15 talking to upper school Entrepreneurship ClubAs a recent graduate of the University of Utah’s Entertainment Arts and Engineering program, MPA Class of 2015 alum Logan Erickson has a lot on the horizon. From designing games with Octothorpe, to leading the design and development of neurological rehabilitation assessments and training at Stronger Brains Inc., he is making an impact and inspiring others to do the same. One of Logan’s recent projects was developing a game in which the user enters the world of Sherlock Holmes as a Baker Street Irregular–coincidentally, MPA’s 2019 Middle School Play, Sherlock Holmes: The Baker Street Irregulars, allowed for the same experience!

Logan was invited by his brother Hunter, a current MPA junior, to visit campus and speak to the Upper School Entrepreneurship Club. Since he was seven years old, Logan has been creatively finding ways to pioneer his own small businesses. As a Middle School student, he established his first enterprise by selling handcrafted figurines–a leap he took that still echoes his ambitious spirit to this day. It eventually led him to the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah, where he helped friends with their own small companies. In turn, he realized how much he enjoys building them himself. Read More


Coming Together To Create The MPA Alma Mater

Upper school choir practicing the alma materMPA Music Teachers, Mari Espeland and John Habermann, have been wanting to create an Alma Mater for MPA for years. But as the 2019-20 school year began, our campus went through many changes, Mr. Habermann gained more experience composing music, and MPA entered its 38th year; the timing just felt right.

As a founding faculty member and renowned English teacher, John believed Anne Atchison was the perfect candidate to write the lyrics. From the heart, she wrote and drafted the words to perfection, leaving the rhythmic lines comprehensible enough for our Alma Mater to be sung by everyone, from our littlest Panthers in PreK to our entire alumni community. Mr. Habermann said that the song’s tune came quickly after the lyrics were written. The arrangement was basically finished after an inspiring MPA Homecoming. Read More


Deep Gratitude From An MPA Alum And Trustee

lower schools students working together in classby Jeremy Drucker ’97

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, now is the time our thoughts are often directed to gratitude. In addition to those things for which I have always been grateful—friends and family and what I consider to be the miraculous comforts of modern living—I find increasingly a deep sense of thanks for the education I received at Mounds Park Academy.

When I attended MPA the motto was “Mounds Park doesn’t teach kids what to think we teach them how.” Today the motto is “Dream Big. Do Right.” In both of those mottos I find core values that have infused this school since I was a student in the early 1990’s. I arrived at MPA in sixth grade a spirited, albeit undisciplined and unruly, student with little experience in a structured academic setting. Through the years, MPA provided the structure and support for me to develop not just the skills and work ethic I needed to succeed, but also the less easily measured qualities of curiosity, adaptability, and self-awareness. Read More


Finding A Home At MPA

Elli Carlson '20The following essay is adapted from MPA Class of 2020 member Elli Carlson’s Senior Speech. Elli joined MPA as a sophomore in August 2017.

I have been looking for “home” for as long as I can remember. Places I can be me, comfortably and unapologetically. Those places have changed as I have grown, and I’m sure my search will last my entire lifetime as I continue to evolve.

From a young age, I thought school would be my first home. I possessed an unrelenting love for learning, so I naturally imagined school as a haven for my curiosity. My mom frequently recounts the story of my first day of kindergarten, when I hopped off the school bus, ran up the driveway, and immediately asked her “When are we going to start the real learning? All we did was play!” Read More


Join Us For A Meet & Greet Networking Opportunity

alumni networking mentor event at MPAOn January 14, 2020 we will be hosting a networking meet and greet event for our seniors at MPA. This will include alumni who participated in the mentorship program but we also would like all alumni and parents of alumni to join in this great opportunity. The event will take place in the Hart Commons on January 14, 2020 from 9-10 AM.

If you are interested in participating please contact Ashley Goetzke, assistant director of development at agoetzke@moundsparkacademy.org for more information.


Be Part Of The MPA Holiday Gift List

the MPA Holiday gift listDon’t miss out on the chance for your business or restaurant to be featured in the MPA Holiday gift list. This year, one of the ways we would like to connect our current families to the great things our alumni are up to is through a holiday gift list. This list will be shared with our community for ideas to complete their holiday shopping that also support MPA graduates and parents! The list is not exclusive to gift buying for PreK through 12th grade students, it is all inclusive of the whole community, including purchasing gifts for other adults.

We would love to include you! Please contact Ashley Goetzke, assistant director of development at agoetzke@moundsparkacademy.org for more information.


MPA Alumni Spotlight: Laura ’14, Ingrid ’16, and Sofie ’16!

Laura Nicholson '14 spent six months researching pollinator declines in the Ecuadorian cloud forestAfter graduating from Rice University, Laura Nicholson ’14 spent six months researching pollinator declines in the Ecuadorian cloud forest through a fellowship sponsored by Rice. She is now pursuing a Masters in Wildlife Ecology and Evolution at the University of Florida researching the endangered Florida Bonneted Bat in the Florida Everglades. Read More


Share Your Story Of Gratitude

lower school students making a leaf pileAs the colors of the leaves change and the temperature decreases, we are reminded that winter is near. In the season of Fall we find ourselves thinking of what we may be thankful for.

We hear so many amazing stories about MPA from our alumni community. To honor the season of gratitude we encourage you to share your story of what you are thankful for from your time at MPA by emailing alumni@moundsparkacademy.org. Thank you for sharing your treasured memories with us!


Meet Lindsey Metcalf Kenyon ’08

Lindsey Metcalf Kenyon '08Meet 2019-20 Alumni Association Board member Lindsey Metcalf Kenyon ’08!

Lindsey is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Minnesota in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department. Once she found out that she could possibly go somewhere or discover something that no one else has before, she was set on being a geologist and scientist. She followed her “nerdy-ness” and love of the outdoors to Michigan Technological University. There, she was a part of cutting-edge funded undergraduate research projects and later went to the University of Alabama for her Masters, where she engaged in field work in Antarctica, going to those places she had previously dreamed of where no one had been before. While there, she kept in touch with Ms. Reardon-Offerman, who was her math teacher at MPA.

“She really made me realize how proud I should be of what I have already accomplished. Even now her encouragement makes me want to go farther and accomplish more as a woman in STEM,” Lindsey said. Read More


Thank You To The Entire Panther Community!

mpa volleyball at the state tournamentThank you for your incredible support of the MPA Girls Varsity Volleyball Team as they advanced to the State Tournament for the first time in school history! We are so proud of our athletes, our fans, and our entire Panther community. It was a day to remember as five buses full of students departed campus for the Xcel Energy Center and other students gathered in the Family Commons to watch the livestream. The Panther Pride across all grades was palpable and truly represented how our community comes together to support one another. It was a great day to be a Panther! See photos of the electric energy from today here!