February 15, 2018
It’s been an extremely exciting past week for Panther Athletics! We’ve summed up the top moments here so you can celebrate and cheer on our amazing students athletes with us!
February 12, 2018
MPA senior Blake Henke and the Minnesota Wild Sled Hockey Team won their entire tournament in Fort Wayne, Indiana last weekend! Back in November, the team brought home second place at the NHL Sled Hockey Classic. But with five games in two days, the spirit of the winter games was strong, ending the championship game with the Wild on top in an exciting shoot-out. Congratulations to Blake and his teammates!
To catch Blake in action on the ice, mark your calendar for February 23-25 for the Hendrickson Foundation Disabled Festival at the Schwan’s National Sports Center. In its second year, this tournament brings the post-season hockey experience to Minnesota hockey players with various disabilities. Every event during the weekend is free to attendees!
Show Your MPA Pride At Spirit Night
February 1, 2018
Bring your Panther pride and cheer on MPA on Friday, February 9 as we take on IMAC rival St. Paul Academy for Spirit Night! Students, alumni, and families from all divisions are encouraged to pack the Lansing Sports Center for an evening of basketball and school spirit! The C and JV teams play at 4:15 PM, followed by the girls varsity at 6 PM, and boys varsity at 7:30 PM. Go Panthers!
MPA Girls Nordic Ski Champions
February 1, 2018
MPA Nordic Ski is on fire! The boys team set a school record this season, and now the girls are taking home the 2017-2018 IMAC Conference Championship for the third year in a row over Blake, Breck, Heritage/Providence, and Minnehaha Academy. Middle School student Margo N. took third place at the Nordic Championship at Elm Creek and to help the team win the championship! Go Panthers!
IMAC Athletes Of The Month At MPA
February 1, 2018
Three MPA student athletes have been named Independent Metro Athletic Conference Athletes of the Month so far this year!
October was a strong month for MPA’s athletes. Senior Declan Dahlberg was recognized for cross country. During his season, he finished in second place in the State Cross Country meet, wrote his own column in MileSplit MN, received Academic All State Honors, and signed with the University of Minnesota’s Track and Field and Cross Country Teams.
Additionally in October, MPA junior Maia Kelly was named Athlete of the Month for her accomplishments in volleyball. Maia has been named the “Semper Fidelis Player of the Match” three times, was part of the MPA record-breaking volleyball team this year, and was named on the Independent Metro All-Conference list. She is currently playing on the MPA Girls Varsity Basketball Team.
The Importance of Play and Movement
December 7, 2017
by Renee Wright, Lower School Director
Lower School students participated in Sports Week the week of November 27. This Lower School tradition is a joyful way to promote physical activity, and as I watched the students immersed in sports activities, I reflected on my own childhood and realize how much I had missed in being a student prior to the enactment and implementation of Title IX. I did not have the opportunity to try out different sports or compete on a sports team. How joyful to watch our students—girls and boys alike—celebrating sports and cheering on each other.
Throughout the week students had the opportunity to tell their sports story and were reminded of the importance of being physically active. On sports dress-up day, students came dressed as soccer players, skiers, dancers, football players, skaters, and more. I was so impressed with the pride Lower School students showed when sharing their sport or talking about the physical activities they participate in individually, on a team, or with their families. When asked why sports are important to them, kindergarteners shared, “Because it is fun to play sports with friends, being active gives you more energy, and playing sports makes your body healthier.”
The kindergarteners were right in identifying the importance (not to mention the fun) of staying physically active. Research shows that sports participation is a significant predictor of a young adult’s participation in physical fitness activities. Three in four adults aged 30+ who play sports today played sports as school-aged children. Only three percent of adults who play sports did not play when they were young (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Harvard University/NPR, 2015). Read More
MPA Sails Through The Great Oaks Regatta
November 30, 2017
MPA juniors Karan Jain, Toby Sullivan, and Jose Varela came in second in the Great Oaks National Invitational Regatta in New Orleans!
The Great Oaks Regatta is a national championship for schools with small sailing teams. Teams need to qualify in a regional regatta in order to be invited to compete in New Orleans. This is the MPA team’s third consecutive year of qualifying and participating and it was their best result yet. Go Panthers!
November 30, 2017
MPA students in grades PreK-4 are invited to be a Lower School Kid of the Game at an MPA Boys Varsity Basketball home game!
The Kid of the Game will first be introduced before the game, then join the Panthers and coaches on the court for pregame warm ups, and receive an MPA basketball gift and concession stand item. Being a Lower School Kid of Game is free and siblings are welcome to be Lower School Kid of Game on the same night.
Jacob Schwartz ’09 Named Head Varsity Boys Basketball Coach
November 16, 2017
Mounds Park Academy Boys Basketball is thrilled to announce Jacob Schwartz ’09 as head varsity coach! He is taking over for Dan Haase, who moved into the role of Athletic Director after 16 years coaching basketball at MPA. Previously, Jacob coached MPA’s Junior Varsity team while also acting as an assistant coach on the Varsity bench.
“I’m most excited about working with the kids in our program,” said Jacob. “I’ve built some great relationships with them over the years and to see their progression has been terrific. I’m excited to help them achieve both team and individual success as we strive to take MPA basketball to the next level.”
Declan Dahlberg Signs With U of M
November 8, 2017
Mounds Park Academy is proud to announce that senior Declan Dahlberg signed with the University of Minnesota’s Track and Field and Cross Country Teams. An exceptional student athlete, Declan was accepted to the University’s College of Science and Engineering.
“I’m extremely excited to start this new chapter of my academic and athletic career next fall, and I’m honored to do it at the University of Minnesota. In the end, the combination of my interactions with Coach Plascencia, the boys on the team, and the school in general made this an easy choice. I’m extremely grateful to my high school coaches, Dan Ethier, Jerry Slater, and Bev Docherty, my parents, and my teammates and friends for helping me get to this point. I could not have achieved any of this without all of their support,” said Declan.
Declan is a two-time state champion (1600m in Track and Cross Country as a junior). He also finished second twice (3200m in Track as a junior and Cross Country as a senior). He is a seven-time state qualifier and seven-time All State Honoree between Track and Cross Country. Remarkably, he was part of both of the two closest finishes in Cross Country State Meet history.
Outside of athletics, Declan is an exceptional student and volunteer. He is an academic All State Recipient with a 3.98 Cumulative GPA, making honor roll every semester of high school. Declan was one of 14 members of the MPA Class of 2018 to be inducted into the National Honor Society on October 12, 2017. His selection was due to his exemplary commitment to service, leadership, character, and academics, tenants of NHS and Mounds Park Academy. He writes the weekly Run, Write, Repeat Blog for running website MileSplit MN.
Interested in pursuing medical school after college, Declan volunteers in the emergency room at St. John’s Hospital and does melanoma research with Professor Timothy Lyden at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls specifically related to the 3D modeling of melanoma tumors.
He is a highly skilled percussionist, pianist, violinist, and choral member, exemplifying the balance between academics, arts, and athletics that students find at Mounds Park Academy.